Okay, I admit it. I'm freaking out about Christmas presents. I just gave my roommate her birthday present, and her special day was back in June. So I know that if i don't put in a special effort, I'll be empty-handed at the Christmas tree. (Not to mention that I'll be in Tokyo for Christmas, and bearing no gifts in Japan is akin to blasphemy.)
Lately though, I've grown more and more resistant to buying mass-produced goods that were made by a corporation. Not only was some woman/child/brown person probably mistreated in its production, but it lacks soul and is probably chemically treated and bad for you.
So I'm compiling some gift ideas that are fun, functional, and benefit the artists, entrepeneurs, and activists in our global community.
* Hyphen!
When you give the gift of Hyphen, you give them insight into the Asian American community, quirky fun that explodes stereotypes, a compilation of journalism, design, literature and art that makes everyone who reads it just a bit more hip and a lot more informed.
* Chocolate sushi.
Started by two San Jose-based JA sisters, Suedy's Kooki Sushi hand makes chocolate confections that look exactly like the nigiri and maki you'd order up at a sushi bar. It's pricey, but it's pretty amazing looking.
* Handmade, custom clothing
There's a lot of young upstarts out there, designing clothes. Like Marilyn Yu-Lin, Sunhee Moon, and Nisa. You can buy off the rack from Sunhee and Nisa, or you can get something custom fitted by Marilyn. Don't ever say you don't know what to get her again. (Her, meaning me.)
* The Iris Chang Collection
Why not honor her life and support your locally owned bookstore at the same time? The Rape of Nanking is not an easy read, but it's an important one. The Chinese in America and Thread of the Silkworm got critical raves.
* Season tickets!
Asian American theater is probably in a city near you, with long-running companies in places like San Francisco, Seattle, and DC. (Here's a list of companies.) SF's offers a "pay-what-you-can" season package, so theater is no longer merely for the financially elite. See plays from Phillip Kan Gotanda, David Henry Hwang and a film from Adam Chin --support the movement to get more Asian faces on stage and on screen.
* A "Racially Profiled" t-shirt
from Blacklava. You can also choose from "I am not a terrorist," "I suck at math" and "SWM seeking SAF." Help your cousins or grandma raise the political consciousness of any room they enter.
* Handwoven silk scarves from Laos
I love fair trade stores --unique handmade stuff that's give women a livelihood through regional arts and crafts. World of Good is selling scarves made by Laotian women; more elaborate and expensive designs are available at Beyond the Banyan Tree. Women in Laos raise the worm, spin the thread, dye it, and then weave the scarves, start to finish. Pretty badass if you ask me.
* Livestock
For people on your list who have too much of everything, give to a cause they'd appreciate in their name. One I like: making the capital investment for low-income families in the developing world (and in the US) --through heifers! Or bees, trees, rabbits, chicks, or even llamas. Heifer International will deliver your gift to a needy family and provide technical support and training. Families can supplement their income selling milk or honey, or even start a full-fledged business with the livestock. A gift that will likely outlast the latest electronic gizmo.
* DVDs
Who doesn't want to own Better Luck Tomorrow, Charlotte Sometimes, or Harold and Kumar? Or jump off the beaten path with great, undersung titles like The Monkey Kid made by Beijing-San Francisco Film Group, Revolution by Margaret Cho, or the remastered box set of Arthur Dong's DVDs called Stories from the War on Homosexuality.
* Make a gift!
The best gifts of all are made handmade by you. Unless you're still making macaroni necklaces --in that case, why not check out ReadyMade, chock full of clever ideas for the hip DIYer, and another Bay Area, independently produced magazine.
After you've got gift in hand, head over to the Bay Street Emeryville Mall to get your gift wrapped by Hyphen! We're raising money for our next issue, the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA. There's a very cool train, and we've got great paper, great prices, and very artistic, highly skilled wrappers.
Any other great ideas out there? Please share (I need them!) Be careful out there, and remember, you cast a ballot every (2 or) 4 years, but you cast your dollars almost every day. Make those votes count!
Posted by jennifer at 5:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Okay, I admit it. I'm freaking out about Christmas presents. I just gave my roommate her birthday present, and her special day was back in June. So I know that if i don't put in a special effort, I'll be empty-handed at the Christmas tree. (Not to mention that I'll be in Tokyo for Christmas, and bearing no gifts in Japan is akin to blasphemy.)
Lately though, I've grown more and more resistant to buying mass-produced goods that were made by a corporation. Not only was some woman/child/brown person probably mistreated in its production, but it lacks soul and is probably chemically treated and bad for you.
So I'm compiling some gift ideas that are fun, functional, and benefit the artists, entrepeneurs, and activists in our global community.
* Hyphen!
When you give the gift of Hyphen, you give them insight into the Asian American community, quirky fun that explodes stereotypes, a compilation of journalism, design, literature and art that makes everyone who reads it just a bit more hip and a lot more informed.
* Chocolate sushi.
Started by two San Jose-based JA sisters, Suedy's Kooki Sushi hand makes chocolate confections that look exactly like the nigiri and maki you'd order up at a sushi bar. It's pricey, but it's pretty amazing looking.
* Handmade, custom clothing
There's a lot of young upstarts out there, designing clothes. Like Marilyn Yu-Lin, Sunhee Moon, and Nisa. You can buy off the rack from Sunhee and Nisa, or you can get something custom fitted by Marilyn. Don't ever say you don't know what to get her again. (Her, meaning me.)
* The Iris Chang Collection
Why not honor her life and support your locally owned bookstore at the same time? The Rape of Nanking is not an easy read, but it's an important one. The Chinese in America and Thread of the Silkworm got critical raves.
* Season tickets!
Asian American theater is probably in a city near you, with long-running companies in places like San Francisco, Seattle, and DC. (Here's a list of companies.) SF's offers a "pay-what-you-can" season package, so theater is no longer merely for the financially elite. See plays from Phillip Kan Gotanda, David Henry Hwang and a film from Adam Chin --support the movement to get more Asian faces on stage and on screen.
* A "Racially Profiled" t-shirt
from Blacklava. You can also choose from "I am not a terrorist," "I suck at math" and "SWM seeking SAF." Help your cousins or grandma raise the political consciousness of any room they enter.
* Handwoven silk scarves from Laos
I love fair trade stores --unique handmade stuff that's give women a livelihood through regional arts and crafts. World of Good is selling scarves made by Laotian women; more elaborate and expensive designs are available at Beyond the Banyan Tree. Women in Laos raise the worm, spin the thread, dye it, and then weave the scarves, start to finish. Pretty badass if you ask me.
* Livestock
For people on your list who have too much of everything, give to a cause they'd appreciate in their name. One I like: making the capital investment for low-income families in the developing world (and in the US) --through heifers! Or bees, trees, rabbits, chicks, or even llamas. Heifer International will deliver your gift to a needy family and provide technical support and training. Families can supplement their income selling milk or honey, or even start a full-fledged business with the livestock. A gift that will likely outlast the latest electronic gizmo.
* DVDs
Who doesn't want to own Better Luck Tomorrow, Charlotte Sometimes, or Harold and Kumar? Or jump off the beaten path with great, undersung titles like The Monkey Kid made by Beijing-San Francisco Film Group, Revolution by Margaret Cho, or the remastered box set of Arthur Dong's DVDs called Stories from the War on Homosexuality.
* Make a gift!
The best gifts of all are made handmade by you. Unless you're still making macaroni necklaces --in that case, why not check out ReadyMade, chock full of clever ideas for the hip DIYer, and another Bay Area, independently produced magazine.
After you've got gift in hand, head over to the Bay Street Emeryville Mall to get your gift wrapped by Hyphen! We're raising money for our next issue, the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA. There's a very cool train, and we've got great paper, great prices, and very artistic, highly skilled wrappers.
Any other great ideas out there? Please share (I need them!) Be careful out there, and remember, you cast a ballot every (2 or) 4 years, but you cast your dollars almost every day. Make those votes count!
Posted by jennifer at 5:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Okay, I admit it. I'm freaking out about Christmas presents. I just gave my roommate her birthday present, and her special day was back in June. So I know that if i don't put in a special effort, I'll be empty-handed at the Christmas tree. (Not to mention that I'll be in Tokyo for Christmas, and bearing no gifts in Japan is akin to blasphemy.)
Lately though, I've grown more and more resistant to buying mass-produced goods that were made by a corporation. Not only was some woman/child/brown person probably mistreated in its production, but it lacks soul and is probably chemically treated and bad for you.
So I'm compiling some gift ideas that are fun, functional, and benefit the artists, entrepeneurs, and activists in our global community.
* Hyphen!
When you give the gift of Hyphen, you give them insight into the Asian American community, quirky fun that explodes stereotypes, a compilation of journalism, design, literature and art that makes everyone who reads it just a bit more hip and a lot more informed.
* Chocolate sushi.
Started by two San Jose-based JA sisters, Suedy's Kooki Sushi hand makes chocolate confections that look exactly like the nigiri and maki you'd order up at a sushi bar. It's pricey, but it's pretty amazing looking.
* Handmade, custom clothing
There's a lot of young upstarts out there, designing clothes. Like Marilyn Yu-Lin, Sunhee Moon, and Nisa. You can buy off the rack from Sunhee and Nisa, or you can get something custom fitted by Marilyn. Don't ever say you don't know what to get her again. (Her, meaning me.)
* The Iris Chang Collection
Why not honor her life and support your locally owned bookstore at the same time? The Rape of Nanking is not an easy read, but it's an important one. The Chinese in America and Thread of the Silkworm got critical raves.
* Season tickets!
Asian American theater is probably in a city near you, with long-running companies in places like San Francisco, Seattle, and DC. (Here's a list of companies.) SF's offers a "pay-what-you-can" season package, so theater is no longer merely for the financially elite. See plays from Phillip Kan Gotanda, David Henry Hwang and a film from Adam Chin --support the movement to get more Asian faces on stage and on screen.
* A "Racially Profiled" t-shirt
from Blacklava. You can also choose from "I am not a terrorist," "I suck at math" and "SWM seeking SAF." Help your cousins or grandma raise the political consciousness of any room they enter.
* Handwoven silk scarves from Laos
I love fair trade stores --unique handmade stuff that's give women a livelihood through regional arts and crafts. World of Good is selling scarves made by Laotian women; more elaborate and expensive designs are available at Beyond the Banyan Tree. Women in Laos raise the worm, spin the thread, dye it, and then weave the scarves, start to finish. Pretty badass if you ask me.
* Livestock
For people on your list who have too much of everything, give to a cause they'd appreciate in their name. One I like: making the capital investment for low-income families in the developing world (and in the US) --through heifers! Or bees, trees, rabbits, chicks, or even llamas. Heifer International will deliver your gift to a needy family and provide technical support and training. Families can supplement their income selling milk or honey, or even start a full-fledged business with the livestock. A gift that will likely outlast the latest electronic gizmo.
* DVDs
Who doesn't want to own Better Luck Tomorrow, Charlotte Sometimes, or Harold and Kumar? Or jump off the beaten path with great, undersung titles like The Monkey Kid made by Beijing-San Francisco Film Group, Revolution by Margaret Cho, or the remastered box set of Arthur Dong's DVDs called Stories from the War on Homosexuality.
* Make a gift!
The best gifts of all are made handmade by you. Unless you're still making macaroni necklaces --in that case, why not check out ReadyMade, chock full of clever ideas for the hip DIYer, and another Bay Area, independently produced magazine.
After you've got gift in hand, head over to the Bay Street Emeryville Mall to get your gift wrapped by Hyphen! We're raising money for our next issue, the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA. There's a very cool train, and we've got great paper, great prices, and very artistic, highly skilled wrappers.
Any other great ideas out there? Please share (I need them!) Be careful out there, and remember, you cast a ballot every (2 or) 4 years, but you cast your dollars almost every day. Make those votes count!
Posted by jennifer at 5:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
I'm not sure why, or how he got a hold of it, but some guy is selling the last standing barracks from the Manzanar Japanese Internment camp. Place your bid at eBay. The auction ends on, you guessed it, Dec. 7.
Posted by harry at 12:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
I'm not sure why, or how he got a hold of it, but some guy is selling the last standing barracks from the Manzanar Japanese Internment camp. Place your bid at eBay. The auction ends on, you guessed it, Dec. 7.
Posted by harry at 12:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
I'm not sure why, or how he got a hold of it, but some guy is selling the last standing barracks from the Manzanar Japanese Internment camp. Place your bid at eBay. The auction ends on, you guessed it, Dec. 7.
Posted by harry at 12:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The past several months have made a few things clear to me: 1) I really need to lower my cholesterol, 2) Reality TV is not as entertaining as a car accident, 3) I don't actually know what my rights are anymore, and 4) I don't know where to go to "get involved." The first two are self-explanatory, but for someone who has, through Hyphen magazine, publicly protested the loss of civil rights through the PATRIOT ACT, how can I not know exactly what rights were lost? For someone who calls herself an activist and has given 20 hours a week to nonprofits for the past six years, how can I not know where to turn to get organized to turn out the vote -- or whatever issue will be exercising me in the next coupla years?
Well, sometimes it takes a while both to sort out the implications of new public policies, and to see which options are really enforceable. By the time the fights have died down, public (and my) attention has turned elsewhere. And when it comes to knowing where to turn when you want to act, I found that when I turned to my very active friends, or went to my trusty internet, I ran up against a lot of blank looks and dead ends. Frankly, not a lot of people or websites have a handle on the vast and diverse landscape of community organizing. There's no single clearing house for lefty/liberal causes, and the most well known organizations tend to use their "take action" pages as a way to get you involved in ... well their organization only. So I went looking a little this week and here's what I found. Please let me know if there are better resources out there:
WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?
Well, to start with, I realized just now that I never read the actual text of the U.S. Constitution in school, only its substance and implications; I suspect a lot of citizens and non-citizens can say the same thing. To remedy that, here's the text of the United States Constitution, including the Amendments. Pay particular attention to the Bill of Rights, contained in Amendments I - X. It's an oldie, but goodie, shockingly readable after 230-odd years, and, surprisingly enough, inspiring in a way that organizational documents usually aren't. As some blogs have been pointing out recently, second amendment citers tend only to read the first half of the sentence, since the second half is all about restrictions.
To get at how the PATRIOT ACT has altered these rights, the ever-helpful American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has compiled resources to answer questions about what your rights are in a number of increasingly common situations, including when government agents contact you and when you are being questioned in airports. You can download a pdf "Know Your Rights" pamphlet in a variety of languages. They also have an online interactive feature detailing the PATRIOT ACT's impact on your rights, broken down amendment by amendment. You can also sign up for updates and action alerts on the ACLU's website, or just check in periodically and inform yourself.
For a more Muslim-specific take on your rights, you can check out the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) "Know Your Rights Pocket Guide". This also includes some suggestions as to how to become active in your Muslim community.
WHERE AND HOW TO TAKE ACTION
When you're ready to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them, the ACLU's training resources page has a number of suggestions for simple ways you can affect change at your own desk, or in your own community. Their suggestions are of course heavily slanted towards helping out the ACLU, but there's some common sense in here. If you'd rather work within an existing organization try Volunteer Match, a website where you can search thousands of non-profit organizations all over the country for groups that address your interests in your area. All groups list mission, specific volunteer opportunities and contact info.
For youth and young adults, volunteer opportunities in your area can be found on Youth Noise' website. The League of Pissed Off Voters, a young voters organization, has a number of great resources on its resources and links page.
If you're already writing those letters to your representative and signing petitions, and want to jump your activism to a higher level, you might benefit from some training. You can find a sea of training resources on ActionPA's activism training, materials and resources page. If you're involved in an organization and need further training, you might check out the Midwest Academy a liberal training center for activists. And many, many organizations have youth activist and leadership training programs, so go directly to the source to see if there's something there for you.
KEEP IN MIND
It's your world, I'm only blogging in it.
Posted by claire at 3:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The past several months have made a few things clear to me: 1) I really need to lower my cholesterol, 2) Reality TV is not as entertaining as a car accident, 3) I don't actually know what my rights are anymore, and 4) I don't know where to go to "get involved." The first two are self-explanatory, but for someone who has, through Hyphen magazine, publicly protested the loss of civil rights through the PATRIOT ACT, how can I not know exactly what rights were lost? For someone who calls herself an activist and has given 20 hours a week to nonprofits for the past six years, how can I not know where to turn to get organized to turn out the vote -- or whatever issue will be exercising me in the next coupla years?
Well, sometimes it takes a while both to sort out the implications of new public policies, and to see which options are really enforceable. By the time the fights have died down, public (and my) attention has turned elsewhere. And when it comes to knowing where to turn when you want to act, I found that when I turned to my very active friends, or went to my trusty internet, I ran up against a lot of blank looks and dead ends. Frankly, not a lot of people or websites have a handle on the vast and diverse landscape of community organizing. There's no single clearing house for lefty/liberal causes, and the most well known organizations tend to use their "take action" pages as a way to get you involved in ... well their organization only. So I went looking a little this week and here's what I found. Please let me know if there are better resources out there:
WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?
Well, to start with, I realized just now that I never read the actual text of the U.S. Constitution in school, only its substance and implications; I suspect a lot of citizens and non-citizens can say the same thing. To remedy that, here's the text of the United States Constitution, including the Amendments. Pay particular attention to the Bill of Rights, contained in Amendments I - X. It's an oldie, but goodie, shockingly readable after 230-odd years, and, surprisingly enough, inspiring in a way that organizational documents usually aren't. As some blogs have been pointing out recently, second amendment citers tend only to read the first half of the sentence, since the second half is all about restrictions.
To get at how the PATRIOT ACT has altered these rights, the ever-helpful American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has compiled resources to answer questions about what your rights are in a number of increasingly common situations, including when government agents contact you and when you are being questioned in airports. You can download a pdf "Know Your Rights" pamphlet in a variety of languages. They also have an online interactive feature detailing the PATRIOT ACT's impact on your rights, broken down amendment by amendment. You can also sign up for updates and action alerts on the ACLU's website, or just check in periodically and inform yourself.
For a more Muslim-specific take on your rights, you can check out the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) "Know Your Rights Pocket Guide". This also includes some suggestions as to how to become active in your Muslim community.
WHERE AND HOW TO TAKE ACTION
When you're ready to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them, the ACLU's training resources page has a number of suggestions for simple ways you can affect change at your own desk, or in your own community. Their suggestions are of course heavily slanted towards helping out the ACLU, but there's some common sense in here. If you'd rather work within an existing organization try Volunteer Match, a website where you can search thousands of non-profit organizations all over the country for groups that address your interests in your area. All groups list mission, specific volunteer opportunities and contact info.
For youth and young adults, volunteer opportunities in your area can be found on Youth Noise' website. The League of Pissed Off Voters, a young voters organization, has a number of great resources on its resources and links page.
If you're already writing those letters to your representative and signing petitions, and want to jump your activism to a higher level, you might benefit from some training. You can find a sea of training resources on ActionPA's activism training, materials and resources page. If you're involved in an organization and need further training, you might check out the Midwest Academy a liberal training center for activists. And many, many organizations have youth activist and leadership training programs, so go directly to the source to see if there's something there for you.
KEEP IN MIND
It's your world, I'm only blogging in it.
Posted by claire at 3:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The past several months have made a few things clear to me: 1) I really need to lower my cholesterol, 2) Reality TV is not as entertaining as a car accident, 3) I don't actually know what my rights are anymore, and 4) I don't know where to go to "get involved." The first two are self-explanatory, but for someone who has, through Hyphen magazine, publicly protested the loss of civil rights through the PATRIOT ACT, how can I not know exactly what rights were lost? For someone who calls herself an activist and has given 20 hours a week to nonprofits for the past six years, how can I not know where to turn to get organized to turn out the vote -- or whatever issue will be exercising me in the next coupla years?
Well, sometimes it takes a while both to sort out the implications of new public policies, and to see which options are really enforceable. By the time the fights have died down, public (and my) attention has turned elsewhere. And when it comes to knowing where to turn when you want to act, I found that when I turned to my very active friends, or went to my trusty internet, I ran up against a lot of blank looks and dead ends. Frankly, not a lot of people or websites have a handle on the vast and diverse landscape of community organizing. There's no single clearing house for lefty/liberal causes, and the most well known organizations tend to use their "take action" pages as a way to get you involved in ... well their organization only. So I went looking a little this week and here's what I found. Please let me know if there are better resources out there:
WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?
Well, to start with, I realized just now that I never read the actual text of the U.S. Constitution in school, only its substance and implications; I suspect a lot of citizens and non-citizens can say the same thing. To remedy that, here's the text of the United States Constitution, including the Amendments. Pay particular attention to the Bill of Rights, contained in Amendments I - X. It's an oldie, but goodie, shockingly readable after 230-odd years, and, surprisingly enough, inspiring in a way that organizational documents usually aren't. As some blogs have been pointing out recently, second amendment citers tend only to read the first half of the sentence, since the second half is all about restrictions.
To get at how the PATRIOT ACT has altered these rights, the ever-helpful American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has compiled resources to answer questions about what your rights are in a number of increasingly common situations, including when government agents contact you and when you are being questioned in airports. You can download a pdf "Know Your Rights" pamphlet in a variety of languages. They also have an online interactive feature detailing the PATRIOT ACT's impact on your rights, broken down amendment by amendment. You can also sign up for updates and action alerts on the ACLU's website, or just check in periodically and inform yourself.
For a more Muslim-specific take on your rights, you can check out the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) "Know Your Rights Pocket Guide". This also includes some suggestions as to how to become active in your Muslim community.
WHERE AND HOW TO TAKE ACTION
When you're ready to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them, the ACLU's training resources page has a number of suggestions for simple ways you can affect change at your own desk, or in your own community. Their suggestions are of course heavily slanted towards helping out the ACLU, but there's some common sense in here. If you'd rather work within an existing organization try Volunteer Match, a website where you can search thousands of non-profit organizations all over the country for groups that address your interests in your area. All groups list mission, specific volunteer opportunities and contact info.
For youth and young adults, volunteer opportunities in your area can be found on Youth Noise' website. The League of Pissed Off Voters, a young voters organization, has a number of great resources on its resources and links page.
If you're already writing those letters to your representative and signing petitions, and want to jump your activism to a higher level, you might benefit from some training. You can find a sea of training resources on ActionPA's activism training, materials and resources page. If you're involved in an organization and need further training, you might check out the Midwest Academy a liberal training center for activists. And many, many organizations have youth activist and leadership training programs, so go directly to the source to see if there's something there for you.
KEEP IN MIND
It's your world, I'm only blogging in it.
Posted by claire at 3:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Today was our first day of the Hyphen giftwrapping fundraiser at Bay Street mall in Emervyille. I'm pretty certain that we spent more than we made while shopping and eating. Oh well. If you're in the area, stop by to chat with us. Proceeds go to three great causes -- the YMCA, the Boys & Girls club, and Hyphen.
There's an Abercrombie & Fitch in this mall. It always bugs me how there are lots of Asians and blacks shopping in that store.
No, I'm not over the t-shirt thing. I'm most definitely not over the discriminatory hiring and promotion practices which they recently settled a federal class-action lawsuit on, to the tune of $40 million. What really bugs me, though, is their image. Abercrombie is an "aspirational" brand in retail lingo. Do that many people want to be lily white?
For the longest time, they had this giant, I mean giant, poster at the entrance of the store. A blonde-haired white guy with a chiseled jaw lying half naked in the sand. And he had this smirk on this face, like he knew he was such a great looking guy or something. Ugh. How full of himself, I thought. The size of the poster, the look on his face -- it was all so obnoxious. Even without knowing about the lawsuit or the offensive t-shirts, I wouldn't walk into a store like that. But apparently lots of people do. Lots of people of color do.
Now, I bet if you went up to one of them and said, "Would you support a company that repeatedly discriminates against minorities, that purposely assigns minorities to work the back stockroom so the public does not see them, that has a record of promoting whites over blacks, Latinos, and Asians" they would answer "no." But that's what all those people are doing, spending their money there. It irks me to no end. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. It's just that sometimes I look at people and wonder what in the hell is wrong with everyone? Do they not read the news or something? Or do they read it and just not care?
Posted by Melissa at 11:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Today was our first day of the Hyphen giftwrapping fundraiser at Bay Street mall in Emervyille. I'm pretty certain that we spent more than we made while shopping and eating. Oh well. If you're in the area, stop by to chat with us. Proceeds go to three great causes -- the YMCA, the Boys & Girls club, and Hyphen.
There's an Abercrombie & Fitch in this mall. It always bugs me how there are lots of Asians and blacks shopping in that store.
No, I'm not over the t-shirt thing. I'm most definitely not over the discriminatory hiring and promotion practices which they recently settled a federal class-action lawsuit on, to the tune of $40 million. What really bugs me, though, is their image. Abercrombie is an "aspirational" brand in retail lingo. Do that many people want to be lily white?
For the longest time, they had this giant, I mean giant, poster at the entrance of the store. A blonde-haired white guy with a chiseled jaw lying half naked in the sand. And he had this smirk on this face, like he knew he was such a great looking guy or something. Ugh. How full of himself, I thought. The size of the poster, the look on his face -- it was all so obnoxious. Even without knowing about the lawsuit or the offensive t-shirts, I wouldn't walk into a store like that. But apparently lots of people do. Lots of people of color do.
Now, I bet if you went up to one of them and said, "Would you support a company that repeatedly discriminates against minorities, that purposely assigns minorities to work the back stockroom so the public does not see them, that has a record of promoting whites over blacks, Latinos, and Asians" they would answer "no." But that's what all those people are doing, spending their money there. It irks me to no end. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. It's just that sometimes I look at people and wonder what in the hell is wrong with everyone? Do they not read the news or something? Or do they read it and just not care?
Posted by Melissa at 11:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Today was our first day of the Hyphen giftwrapping fundraiser at Bay Street mall in Emervyille. I'm pretty certain that we spent more than we made while shopping and eating. Oh well. If you're in the area, stop by to chat with us. Proceeds go to three great causes -- the YMCA, the Boys & Girls club, and Hyphen.
There's an Abercrombie & Fitch in this mall. It always bugs me how there are lots of Asians and blacks shopping in that store.
No, I'm not over the t-shirt thing. I'm most definitely not over the discriminatory hiring and promotion practices which they recently settled a federal class-action lawsuit on, to the tune of $40 million. What really bugs me, though, is their image. Abercrombie is an "aspirational" brand in retail lingo. Do that many people want to be lily white?
For the longest time, they had this giant, I mean giant, poster at the entrance of the store. A blonde-haired white guy with a chiseled jaw lying half naked in the sand. And he had this smirk on this face, like he knew he was such a great looking guy or something. Ugh. How full of himself, I thought. The size of the poster, the look on his face -- it was all so obnoxious. Even without knowing about the lawsuit or the offensive t-shirts, I wouldn't walk into a store like that. But apparently lots of people do. Lots of people of color do.
Now, I bet if you went up to one of them and said, "Would you support a company that repeatedly discriminates against minorities, that purposely assigns minorities to work the back stockroom so the public does not see them, that has a record of promoting whites over blacks, Latinos, and Asians" they would answer "no." But that's what all those people are doing, spending their money there. It irks me to no end. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. It's just that sometimes I look at people and wonder what in the hell is wrong with everyone? Do they not read the news or something? Or do they read it and just not care?
Posted by Melissa at 11:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
First off: I don't mean to intrude on Jennifer's day to blog. I'm a day early, but I doubt I'll have time to blog tomorrow so: Hapa Thanksgiving! (My bad, I mean Happy Turkey Day.)
It's 4:30 AM and I didn't bother with sleep after getting home just before midnight. (I was with other Hyphen staffers, getting our store-front ready at Bay Street in Emeryville, for our gift-wrapping fundraiser). I figured it'd be retarded for me to try and sleep... I still had work to do, emails to send out, packing, and I was taking care of all that up til the moment I drove myself to the airport at 3:40 AM.
So hello from Oakland Airport--again. (I'm sitting next to the check-in kiosk at my gate, and I just saw a rat running around on the floor! Yikes!) I'm headed to San Diego to spend the holiday weekend with my dad and extended Ednalino clan. I hope you all have good, long weekends with your families and/or other loved ones.
Now on to business. Last weekend I went with my good friend T to Fremont to see a Bollywood film, Veer-Zaara. In Fremont there's a theater called Naz8 that screens only South Asian films. (You can eat samosas and drink mango juice while watching your flick!) After seeing a film called Main Hoon Na at the Third I Film Festival two weekends ago, I've developed a slight fangirl obsession with actor Shahrukh Khan (he's sooo dreamy!). (Google him if you don't know who I'm talking about.) When T invited me to Fremont for another chance to see Shahrukh on the big screen, I happily opened up my Saturday afternoon for a three-hour film.
Laugh if you want, but I'm a late convert to the arena of Bollywood films. (I can hear all my South Asian friends—especially one of my best friends—clapping their hands like, "Welcome to our world!") I mean, Filipino (from the Motherland) cinema is melodramatic and cornball too, but never as over-the-top as South Asian films. (Those variety shows and novelas on TFC [The Filipino Channel] that my aunties watch religiously are another story. If you know how to "Ocho-ocho" like one of the Sex Bomb Dancers, then you know what I'm talking about.)
My previous exposure to Bollywood film came via my work at NAATA's film festival. Two years ago the festival screened Bend it Like Beckham, the classic Mother India, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (starring SRK). I remember sitting in the publicity office, formatting media lists and dubbing press screener copies of KKHH while the volume was muted. Even as I was focused on my computer monitor, I found my peripheral vision wandering towards the images I was dubbing. I checked out a screener copy of KKHH to watch at home.
My interest was piqued enough to watch a Sri-Lankan film at the San Francisco International Film Festival a few months later. But it's taken two years for me to finally jump onto the Bollywood Bandwagon that all of my cine-phile friends have been riding long before me.
After seeing Main Hoon Na, I had these fantasies of exiting the Castro Theater, bursting into song and dance: My hair windblown just so, as my shoulders bounce to bhangra beats. You know, singing a duet with a tall, gorgeous Shahrukh Khan look-alike, his arms outstretched towards me… Oh wait, I'm getting carried away.
I'm such a sucker for musical melodrama, sheesh.
T promised he would take me to Naz8 again so that we can see Shahrukh Khan in Swades. The trailers before Veer-Zara said it was coming out December 17th. Until then, I have Netflix—the next couple DVDs in my queue are all starring SRK!
Holla at me now!
Posted by Audrey at 4:54 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
First off: I don't mean to intrude on Jennifer's day to blog. I'm a day early, but I doubt I'll have time to blog tomorrow so: Hapa Thanksgiving! (My bad, I mean Happy Turkey Day.)
It's 4:30 AM and I didn't bother with sleep after getting home just before midnight. (I was with other Hyphen staffers, getting our store-front ready at Bay Street in Emeryville, for our gift-wrapping fundraiser). I figured it'd be retarded for me to try and sleep... I still had work to do, emails to send out, packing, and I was taking care of all that up til the moment I drove myself to the airport at 3:40 AM.
So hello from Oakland Airport--again. (I'm sitting next to the check-in kiosk at my gate, and I just saw a rat running around on the floor! Yikes!) I'm headed to San Diego to spend the holiday weekend with my dad and extended Ednalino clan. I hope you all have good, long weekends with your families and/or other loved ones.
Now on to business. Last weekend I went with my good friend T to Fremont to see a Bollywood film, Veer-Zaara. In Fremont there's a theater called Naz8 that screens only South Asian films. (You can eat samosas and drink mango juice while watching your flick!) After seeing a film called Main Hoon Na at the Third I Film Festival two weekends ago, I've developed a slight fangirl obsession with actor Shahrukh Khan (he's sooo dreamy!). (Google him if you don't know who I'm talking about.) When T invited me to Fremont for another chance to see Shahrukh on the big screen, I happily opened up my Saturday afternoon for a three-hour film.
Laugh if you want, but I'm a late convert to the arena of Bollywood films. (I can hear all my South Asian friends—especially one of my best friends—clapping their hands like, "Welcome to our world!") I mean, Filipino (from the Motherland) cinema is melodramatic and cornball too, but never as over-the-top as South Asian films. (Those variety shows and novelas on TFC [The Filipino Channel] that my aunties watch religiously are another story. If you know how to "Ocho-ocho" like one of the Sex Bomb Dancers, then you know what I'm talking about.)
My previous exposure to Bollywood film came via my work at NAATA's film festival. Two years ago the festival screened Bend it Like Beckham, the classic Mother India, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (starring SRK). I remember sitting in the publicity office, formatting media lists and dubbing press screener copies of KKHH while the volume was muted. Even as I was focused on my computer monitor, I found my peripheral vision wandering towards the images I was dubbing. I checked out a screener copy of KKHH to watch at home.
My interest was piqued enough to watch a Sri-Lankan film at the San Francisco International Film Festival a few months later. But it's taken two years for me to finally jump onto the Bollywood Bandwagon that all of my cine-phile friends have been riding long before me.
After seeing Main Hoon Na, I had these fantasies of exiting the Castro Theater, bursting into song and dance: My hair windblown just so, as my shoulders bounce to bhangra beats. You know, singing a duet with a tall, gorgeous Shahrukh Khan look-alike, his arms outstretched towards me… Oh wait, I'm getting carried away.
I'm such a sucker for musical melodrama, sheesh.
T promised he would take me to Naz8 again so that we can see Shahrukh Khan in Swades. The trailers before Veer-Zara said it was coming out December 17th. Until then, I have Netflix—the next couple DVDs in my queue are all starring SRK!
Holla at me now!
Posted by Audrey at 4:54 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
First off: I don't mean to intrude on Jennifer's day to blog. I'm a day early, but I doubt I'll have time to blog tomorrow so: Hapa Thanksgiving! (My bad, I mean Happy Turkey Day.)
It's 4:30 AM and I didn't bother with sleep after getting home just before midnight. (I was with other Hyphen staffers, getting our store-front ready at Bay Street in Emeryville, for our gift-wrapping fundraiser). I figured it'd be retarded for me to try and sleep... I still had work to do, emails to send out, packing, and I was taking care of all that up til the moment I drove myself to the airport at 3:40 AM.
So hello from Oakland Airport--again. (I'm sitting next to the check-in kiosk at my gate, and I just saw a rat running around on the floor! Yikes!) I'm headed to San Diego to spend the holiday weekend with my dad and extended Ednalino clan. I hope you all have good, long weekends with your families and/or other loved ones.
Now on to business. Last weekend I went with my good friend T to Fremont to see a Bollywood film, Veer-Zaara. In Fremont there's a theater called Naz8 that screens only South Asian films. (You can eat samosas and drink mango juice while watching your flick!) After seeing a film called Main Hoon Na at the Third I Film Festival two weekends ago, I've developed a slight fangirl obsession with actor Shahrukh Khan (he's sooo dreamy!). (Google him if you don't know who I'm talking about.) When T invited me to Fremont for another chance to see Shahrukh on the big screen, I happily opened up my Saturday afternoon for a three-hour film.
Laugh if you want, but I'm a late convert to the arena of Bollywood films. (I can hear all my South Asian friends—especially one of my best friends—clapping their hands like, "Welcome to our world!") I mean, Filipino (from the Motherland) cinema is melodramatic and cornball too, but never as over-the-top as South Asian films. (Those variety shows and novelas on TFC [The Filipino Channel] that my aunties watch religiously are another story. If you know how to "Ocho-ocho" like one of the Sex Bomb Dancers, then you know what I'm talking about.)
My previous exposure to Bollywood film came via my work at NAATA's film festival. Two years ago the festival screened Bend it Like Beckham, the classic Mother India, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (starring SRK). I remember sitting in the publicity office, formatting media lists and dubbing press screener copies of KKHH while the volume was muted. Even as I was focused on my computer monitor, I found my peripheral vision wandering towards the images I was dubbing. I checked out a screener copy of KKHH to watch at home.
My interest was piqued enough to watch a Sri-Lankan film at the San Francisco International Film Festival a few months later. But it's taken two years for me to finally jump onto the Bollywood Bandwagon that all of my cine-phile friends have been riding long before me.
After seeing Main Hoon Na, I had these fantasies of exiting the Castro Theater, bursting into song and dance: My hair windblown just so, as my shoulders bounce to bhangra beats. You know, singing a duet with a tall, gorgeous Shahrukh Khan look-alike, his arms outstretched towards me… Oh wait, I'm getting carried away.
I'm such a sucker for musical melodrama, sheesh.
T promised he would take me to Naz8 again so that we can see Shahrukh Khan in Swades. The trailers before Veer-Zara said it was coming out December 17th. Until then, I have Netflix—the next couple DVDs in my queue are all starring SRK!
Holla at me now!
Posted by Audrey at 4:54 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
My grandma is known to start conversations out the the blue with statements like, "He decided not to. Let's go eat." You may have just gotten off the plane and arrived in her Tokyo apartment, blowsy and crusty-eyed, and you sure as hell have no idea who "he" is, what he decided about, and what that has to do with eating.
The thing is that grandma, at 94, is still thinking three thoughts ahead and forgets that you can't keep up. Her internal logic is so clear to her that elucidating the rest of us is just a bore. Keep up, people! seems to be her attitude.
I've realized that Hyphen's kind of been like that, too. We figured that if we put a daikon on the magazine's cover, you'd understand that it was a "food" issue, not full of recipes and tips, but rather, examining the origins, socio-economic and political ramifications of the work involved in creating a bowl of soup. We didn't bother explaining it anywhere, just figured it was evident. What, you didn't pick up on all that?
But as previously mentioned in this blog, we want to be more accessible, and that requires taking a few steps back to show you the ground we're standing on. In that spirit, I am providing a Hyphen FAQ. Long overdue. Fellow hyphenators, please feel free to append or amend.
What is Hyphen?
Hyphen is a nonprofit news and culture magazine covering Asian America. It's run completely by volunteers with major decisions made collectively and democratically. The hundreds of hours spent by writers, artists, editors, marketers, publicists, circulation managers, envelope stuffers, designers, web gurus, bloggers, grant writers and everyone else are all unpaid. It's a labor of love.
Does the "hyphen" stand for "Asian (hyphen) American?"
No! We do not hyphenate Asian American, or any other ethnic minority. The hyphen has been a source of great controversy in Asian America and many people have fought hard to get it removed.
We chose the title Hyphen for a lot of reasons. For one, it symbolizes the controversy of ethnic identity and representation in America --the issues that have galvanized the community in the past, and asks an silent question: what will we be fighting for in the future?
Secondly, we liked the idea of a hyphen as a connector. We'd like our magazine to serve as a bridge between the diverse populations included in the term "Asian American" and also Asian America and the rest of the word. We'd also like to be a link between people and organizations and ideas.
Who is Asian American? Am I?
Before Hyphen even had a name, we had long discussions on this question. "Asia" encompasses a huge geographical region, from Cambodia to Bangladesh to Turkmenistan to Indonesia. To top it off, Pacific Islanders are often lumped in there, too.
Then there's the unusual cases: I was once approached by a Russian immigrant to the U.S. who argued that because of his hometown's proximity to China, he was culturally Asian American. A staffer has a friend who's white, but was born and raised in China.
In our discussions, we've never drawn boundaries around who is Asian and who is not. If someone genuinely identifies as Asian American, we're not going to get in a slap-fight with them about it. (We've got other things to worry about, quite frankly.) Identity is a thorny issue, and our discussions raised a lot more questions than we ever answered.
So then, who does Hyphen cover?
We cover people of Asian heritage who live in the U.S., Asian Americans who live abroad, and the issues and events that affect them.
What is Hyphen's (un)official food?
spam and kimchee. Even for those of us who refuse to eat it.
Why is Hyphen a nonprofit?
None of us are out to get rich --or even get a salary, at this point. Hyphen's goals are to contribute to the community, educate and increase awareness, and provide coverage and analysis of issues that is unencumbered by corporate interests or heavy-handed investors. Being a nonprofit makes that clear. It also allows us to accept tax-deductible donations, apply for grants, and beg money from friends and relatives.
Do all of Hyphen staffers have day jobs?
Yes, except the people in school, "between jobs", or working nights.
How does Hyphen raise money?
Mostly through events--release parties, speed dating, an upcoming giftwrap booth for the holidays, etc. Magazine sales do not cover the costs of printing, and we are still working on increasing our ad sales.
Why doesn't Hyphen write this story about grapefruit sellers in Shanghai or telemarketing in Bombay?
Those stories are in Asia. We write about Asian America. There's lots of great stories out there that we don't cover --we can't do everything.
Does your fiscal sponsor fund Hyphen?
No. Our fiscal sponsor, currently Independent Arts and Media, gives us the nonprofit (501(c)3) status that allows us to accept donations. We are responsible for raising our own budget.
How can I help?
Lots of ways! You can subscribe! You can donate money, office supplies, office space, computer equipment, a car, printing press time, or anything else a magazine might need.
Or you can get involved --we need people to help out with every part of the magazine, from people who stuff envelopes or take minutes or deal with City Hall to writers, illustrators, editors, and marketing directors. We like people who can roll up their sleeves right away and take responsibility, even for a small task.
Will I be interested in Hyphen if I'm not Asian American?
We certainly hope so. Through our news, profiles, arts, analysis, fun and frivolity, we strive to reveal the many faces of Asian America --things that break down the stereotypes and challenge mainstream images. Well-told stories have a universal human appeal, and that is the standard that we set for ourselves.
Why are all of the Hyphen staffers so good looking?
That's a mystery to us, too. I guess we're just lucky.
Posted by jennifer at 4:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
My grandma is known to start conversations out the the blue with statements like, "He decided not to. Let's go eat." You may have just gotten off the plane and arrived in her Tokyo apartment, blowsy and crusty-eyed, and you sure as hell have no idea who "he" is, what he decided about, and what that has to do with eating.
The thing is that grandma, at 94, is still thinking three thoughts ahead and forgets that you can't keep up. Her internal logic is so clear to her that elucidating the rest of us is just a bore. Keep up, people! seems to be her attitude.
I've realized that Hyphen's kind of been like that, too. We figured that if we put a daikon on the magazine's cover, you'd understand that it was a "food" issue, not full of recipes and tips, but rather, examining the origins, socio-economic and political ramifications of the work involved in creating a bowl of soup. We didn't bother explaining it anywhere, just figured it was evident. What, you didn't pick up on all that?
But as previously mentioned in this blog, we want to be more accessible, and that requires taking a few steps back to show you the ground we're standing on. In that spirit, I am providing a Hyphen FAQ. Long overdue. Fellow hyphenators, please feel free to append or amend.
What is Hyphen?
Hyphen is a nonprofit news and culture magazine covering Asian America. It's run completely by volunteers with major decisions made collectively and democratically. The hundreds of hours spent by writers, artists, editors, marketers, publicists, circulation managers, envelope stuffers, designers, web gurus, bloggers, grant writers and everyone else are all unpaid. It's a labor of love.
Does the "hyphen" stand for "Asian (hyphen) American?"
No! We do not hyphenate Asian American, or any other ethnic minority. The hyphen has been a source of great controversy in Asian America and many people have fought hard to get it removed.
We chose the title Hyphen for a lot of reasons. For one, it symbolizes the controversy of ethnic identity and representation in America --the issues that have galvanized the community in the past, and asks an silent question: what will we be fighting for in the future?
Secondly, we liked the idea of a hyphen as a connector. We'd like our magazine to serve as a bridge between the diverse populations included in the term "Asian American" and also Asian America and the rest of the word. We'd also like to be a link between people and organizations and ideas.
Who is Asian American? Am I?
Before Hyphen even had a name, we had long discussions on this question. "Asia" encompasses a huge geographical region, from Cambodia to Bangladesh to Turkmenistan to Indonesia. To top it off, Pacific Islanders are often lumped in there, too.
Then there's the unusual cases: I was once approached by a Russian immigrant to the U.S. who argued that because of his hometown's proximity to China, he was culturally Asian American. A staffer has a friend who's white, but was born and raised in China.
In our discussions, we've never drawn boundaries around who is Asian and who is not. If someone genuinely identifies as Asian American, we're not going to get in a slap-fight with them about it. (We've got other things to worry about, quite frankly.) Identity is a thorny issue, and our discussions raised a lot more questions than we ever answered.
So then, who does Hyphen cover?
We cover people of Asian heritage who live in the U.S., Asian Americans who live abroad, and the issues and events that affect them.
What is Hyphen's (un)official food?
spam and kimchee. Even for those of us who refuse to eat it.
Why is Hyphen a nonprofit?
None of us are out to get rich --or even get a salary, at this point. Hyphen's goals are to contribute to the community, educate and increase awareness, and provide coverage and analysis of issues that is unencumbered by corporate interests or heavy-handed investors. Being a nonprofit makes that clear. It also allows us to accept tax-deductible donations, apply for grants, and beg money from friends and relatives.
Do all of Hyphen staffers have day jobs?
Yes, except the people in school, "between jobs", or working nights.
How does Hyphen raise money?
Mostly through events--release parties, speed dating, an upcoming giftwrap booth for the holidays, etc. Magazine sales do not cover the costs of printing, and we are still working on increasing our ad sales.
Why doesn't Hyphen write this story about grapefruit sellers in Shanghai or telemarketing in Bombay?
Those stories are in Asia. We write about Asian America. There's lots of great stories out there that we don't cover --we can't do everything.
Does your fiscal sponsor fund Hyphen?
No. Our fiscal sponsor, currently Independent Arts and Media, gives us the nonprofit (501(c)3) status that allows us to accept donations. We are responsible for raising our own budget.
How can I help?
Lots of ways! You can subscribe! You can donate money, office supplies, office space, computer equipment, a car, printing press time, or anything else a magazine might need.
Or you can get involved --we need people to help out with every part of the magazine, from people who stuff envelopes or take minutes or deal with City Hall to writers, illustrators, editors, and marketing directors. We like people who can roll up their sleeves right away and take responsibility, even for a small task.
Will I be interested in Hyphen if I'm not Asian American?
We certainly hope so. Through our news, profiles, arts, analysis, fun and frivolity, we strive to reveal the many faces of Asian America --things that break down the stereotypes and challenge mainstream images. Well-told stories have a universal human appeal, and that is the standard that we set for ourselves.
Why are all of the Hyphen staffers so good looking?
That's a mystery to us, too. I guess we're just lucky.
Posted by jennifer at 4:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
My grandma is known to start conversations out the the blue with statements like, "He decided not to. Let's go eat." You may have just gotten off the plane and arrived in her Tokyo apartment, blowsy and crusty-eyed, and you sure as hell have no idea who "he" is, what he decided about, and what that has to do with eating.
The thing is that grandma, at 94, is still thinking three thoughts ahead and forgets that you can't keep up. Her internal logic is so clear to her that elucidating the rest of us is just a bore. Keep up, people! seems to be her attitude.
I've realized that Hyphen's kind of been like that, too. We figured that if we put a daikon on the magazine's cover, you'd understand that it was a "food" issue, not full of recipes and tips, but rather, examining the origins, socio-economic and political ramifications of the work involved in creating a bowl of soup. We didn't bother explaining it anywhere, just figured it was evident. What, you didn't pick up on all that?
But as previously mentioned in this blog, we want to be more accessible, and that requires taking a few steps back to show you the ground we're standing on. In that spirit, I am providing a Hyphen FAQ. Long overdue. Fellow hyphenators, please feel free to append or amend.
What is Hyphen?
Hyphen is a nonprofit news and culture magazine covering Asian America. It's run completely by volunteers with major decisions made collectively and democratically. The hundreds of hours spent by writers, artists, editors, marketers, publicists, circulation managers, envelope stuffers, designers, web gurus, bloggers, grant writers and everyone else are all unpaid. It's a labor of love.
Does the "hyphen" stand for "Asian (hyphen) American?"
No! We do not hyphenate Asian American, or any other ethnic minority. The hyphen has been a source of great controversy in Asian America and many people have fought hard to get it removed.
We chose the title Hyphen for a lot of reasons. For one, it symbolizes the controversy of ethnic identity and representation in America --the issues that have galvanized the community in the past, and asks an silent question: what will we be fighting for in the future?
Secondly, we liked the idea of a hyphen as a connector. We'd like our magazine to serve as a bridge between the diverse populations included in the term "Asian American" and also Asian America and the rest of the word. We'd also like to be a link between people and organizations and ideas.
Who is Asian American? Am I?
Before Hyphen even had a name, we had long discussions on this question. "Asia" encompasses a huge geographical region, from Cambodia to Bangladesh to Turkmenistan to Indonesia. To top it off, Pacific Islanders are often lumped in there, too.
Then there's the unusual cases: I was once approached by a Russian immigrant to the U.S. who argued that because of his hometown's proximity to China, he was culturally Asian American. A staffer has a friend who's white, but was born and raised in China.
In our discussions, we've never drawn boundaries around who is Asian and who is not. If someone genuinely identifies as Asian American, we're not going to get in a slap-fight with them about it. (We've got other things to worry about, quite frankly.) Identity is a thorny issue, and our discussions raised a lot more questions than we ever answered.
So then, who does Hyphen cover?
We cover people of Asian heritage who live in the U.S., Asian Americans who live abroad, and the issues and events that affect them.
What is Hyphen's (un)official food?
spam and kimchee. Even for those of us who refuse to eat it.
Why is Hyphen a nonprofit?
None of us are out to get rich --or even get a salary, at this point. Hyphen's goals are to contribute to the community, educate and increase awareness, and provide coverage and analysis of issues that is unencumbered by corporate interests or heavy-handed investors. Being a nonprofit makes that clear. It also allows us to accept tax-deductible donations, apply for grants, and beg money from friends and relatives.
Do all of Hyphen staffers have day jobs?
Yes, except the people in school, "between jobs", or working nights.
How does Hyphen raise money?
Mostly through events--release parties, speed dating, an upcoming giftwrap booth for the holidays, etc. Magazine sales do not cover the costs of printing, and we are still working on increasing our ad sales.
Why doesn't Hyphen write this story about grapefruit sellers in Shanghai or telemarketing in Bombay?
Those stories are in Asia. We write about Asian America. There's lots of great stories out there that we don't cover --we can't do everything.
Does your fiscal sponsor fund Hyphen?
No. Our fiscal sponsor, currently Independent Arts and Media, gives us the nonprofit (501(c)3) status that allows us to accept donations. We are responsible for raising our own budget.
How can I help?
Lots of ways! You can subscribe! You can donate money, office supplies, office space, computer equipment, a car, printing press time, or anything else a magazine might need.
Or you can get involved --we need people to help out with every part of the magazine, from people who stuff envelopes or take minutes or deal with City Hall to writers, illustrators, editors, and marketing directors. We like people who can roll up their sleeves right away and take responsibility, even for a small task.
Will I be interested in Hyphen if I'm not Asian American?
We certainly hope so. Through our news, profiles, arts, analysis, fun and frivolity, we strive to reveal the many faces of Asian America --things that break down the stereotypes and challenge mainstream images. Well-told stories have a universal human appeal, and that is the standard that we set for ourselves.
Why are all of the Hyphen staffers so good looking?
That's a mystery to us, too. I guess we're just lucky.
Posted by jennifer at 4:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
I just got back from Sin City, and I couldn’t help noticing the large numbers of Asians, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders in Las Vegas.
APIs have some gene that makes us gamble, and we go to Las Vegas by the plane load. The casinos have noticed, and many of them bring in big-name entertainers from Asia to perform. But it's not just visitors, so many of the dealers, waiters, hotel workers and bartenders in Las Vegas are Asian or Pacific Islander.
The Las Vegas metro area has one of the fastest growing Asian Pacific Islander populations in the country. The number APIs in Nevada rose from 33,000 in 1990 to 112,000 in 2000, including people that count more than one race in their background, according to the Population Resource Center. In Clark County (where Las Vegas is), the number of Asians and Pacific islanders grew from 26,000 to 79,000, an increase of more than 200 percent.
Over the last decade, so many Hawaiians have moved to Las Vegas that it is known as the Ninth Island (Hawaii has eight islands).
Now if I can just get a little bit of aloha when I’m at the craps table.
Posted by harry at 2:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I just got back from Sin City, and I couldn’t help noticing the large numbers of Asians, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders in Las Vegas.
APIs have some gene that makes us gamble, and we go to Las Vegas by the plane load. The casinos have noticed, and many of them bring in big-name entertainers from Asia to perform. But it's not just visitors, so many of the dealers, waiters, hotel workers and bartenders in Las Vegas are Asian or Pacific Islander.
The Las Vegas metro area has one of the fastest growing Asian Pacific Islander populations in the country. The number APIs in Nevada rose from 33,000 in 1990 to 112,000 in 2000, including people that count more than one race in their background, according to the Population Resource Center. In Clark County (where Las Vegas is), the number of Asians and Pacific islanders grew from 26,000 to 79,000, an increase of more than 200 percent.
Over the last decade, so many Hawaiians have moved to Las Vegas that it is known as the Ninth Island (Hawaii has eight islands).
Now if I can just get a little bit of aloha when I’m at the craps table.
Posted by harry at 2:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I just got back from Sin City, and I couldn’t help noticing the large numbers of Asians, Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders in Las Vegas.
APIs have some gene that makes us gamble, and we go to Las Vegas by the plane load. The casinos have noticed, and many of them bring in big-name entertainers from Asia to perform. But it's not just visitors, so many of the dealers, waiters, hotel workers and bartenders in Las Vegas are Asian or Pacific Islander.
The Las Vegas metro area has one of the fastest growing Asian Pacific Islander populations in the country. The number APIs in Nevada rose from 33,000 in 1990 to 112,000 in 2000, including people that count more than one race in their background, according to the Population Resource Center. In Clark County (where Las Vegas is), the number of Asians and Pacific islanders grew from 26,000 to 79,000, an increase of more than 200 percent.
Over the last decade, so many Hawaiians have moved to Las Vegas that it is known as the Ninth Island (Hawaii has eight islands).
Now if I can just get a little bit of aloha when I’m at the craps table.
Posted by harry at 2:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lots of good discussion at the Hyphen editorial retreat this weekend. Look out for a new and improved magazine in 2005. Besides planning for the next year, we also ate a lot of kalbi and shared stories of personal injuries. Adrienne fell on her face in a bathroom (and hit her head on a wall too on the way down). Stef couldn't move for 3 days after doing squats. And topping it all, Neela zipped up her eyelid once. Ouch!!!
Now, for the news:
No surprises here. TV networks get graded on diversity and fail miserably. Priceless quote from Karen Narasaki of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition: "I said, `So Asians don't look good scantily clad? I just came back from Hawaii and they look pretty damn good.'"
Whatever happened to James Yee, who was falsely accused of spying? He gets a hero's welcome in Sacramento.
And here's an update on a story we reported on in Issue 1. David Wong has been in prison for more than a decade for a murder he most likely didn't commit. His lawyers file for dismissal.
Posted by Melissa at 1:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lots of good discussion at the Hyphen editorial retreat this weekend. Look out for a new and improved magazine in 2005. Besides planning for the next year, we also ate a lot of kalbi and shared stories of personal injuries. Adrienne fell on her face in a bathroom (and hit her head on a wall too on the way down). Stef couldn't move for 3 days after doing squats. And topping it all, Neela zipped up her eyelid once. Ouch!!!
Now, for the news:
No surprises here. TV networks get graded on diversity and fail miserably. Priceless quote from Karen Narasaki of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition: "I said, `So Asians don't look good scantily clad? I just came back from Hawaii and they look pretty damn good.'"
Whatever happened to James Yee, who was falsely accused of spying? He gets a hero's welcome in Sacramento.
And here's an update on a story we reported on in Issue 1. David Wong has been in prison for more than a decade for a murder he most likely didn't commit. His lawyers file for dismissal.
Posted by Melissa at 1:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lots of good discussion at the Hyphen editorial retreat this weekend. Look out for a new and improved magazine in 2005. Besides planning for the next year, we also ate a lot of kalbi and shared stories of personal injuries. Adrienne fell on her face in a bathroom (and hit her head on a wall too on the way down). Stef couldn't move for 3 days after doing squats. And topping it all, Neela zipped up her eyelid once. Ouch!!!
Now, for the news:
No surprises here. TV networks get graded on diversity and fail miserably. Priceless quote from Karen Narasaki of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition: "I said, `So Asians don't look good scantily clad? I just came back from Hawaii and they look pretty damn good.'"
Whatever happened to James Yee, who was falsely accused of spying? He gets a hero's welcome in Sacramento.
And here's an update on a story we reported on in Issue 1. David Wong has been in prison for more than a decade for a murder he most likely didn't commit. His lawyers file for dismissal.
Posted by Melissa at 1:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
As if we didn't have enough meetings and retreats, today wuz the Hyphen ("hip hen" to those in the know) editorial retreat chez Todd in San Jose, which Stef really didn't know the way to. As I explained to a newbie, the Hyphen organization is actually 2 years and 9 months old, but we spent the first eight months of that essentially in one long editorial retreat. This is the first re-envisioning of our editorial scope since then. 'Bout time too.
We didn't make any radical changes, just dropped some sections we'd already long ago dropped, consolidated a couple of sections, gave more space to the creative friters and the visual fartists (yay more space!), disagreed rather less than usual (but rather more than not at all), and fixed our schedule of themes for the next three issues. No, I won't tell you what they are. Subscribe and find out!
What I Took Away With Me (*sniff*): some genius laid out all five issues in a row along one wall, a display I had somehow never seen before. I was completely taken aback at how many issues we've put out in the past year and a half (five!) and how substantial five (5!) issues all look together. When you lay out five (five!) covers in a row, an overall picture or brand image really does emerge. I've been too close to the process, and the product, to see it until now. I'm proud, I say, proud. And that's only marginally facetious.
Most importantly, we did all agree that we are targeting a broader range of readers than just Those Like Us, and that our focus needs to broaden. We need to recruit more good writers (no mean feat, since we still can't afford to pay) in more places than just San Francisco and New York. This is where you all come in. We need quirks and straight stories, fun and games, trauma and oppression, and things nobody but you knows about. Let us know who you are, let us know what you know, let us know who you know. Hyphen is a community effort. You're the community. Help us shape our magazine.
And if the spirit moves you, drop us a little cash, too!
Posted by claire at 7:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
As if we didn't have enough meetings and retreats, today wuz the Hyphen ("hip hen" to those in the know) editorial retreat chez Todd in San Jose, which Stef really didn't know the way to. As I explained to a newbie, the Hyphen organization is actually 2 years and 9 months old, but we spent the first eight months of that essentially in one long editorial retreat. This is the first re-envisioning of our editorial scope since then. 'Bout time too.
We didn't make any radical changes, just dropped some sections we'd already long ago dropped, consolidated a couple of sections, gave more space to the creative friters and the visual fartists (yay more space!), disagreed rather less than usual (but rather more than not at all), and fixed our schedule of themes for the next three issues. No, I won't tell you what they are. Subscribe and find out!
What I Took Away With Me (*sniff*): some genius laid out all five issues in a row along one wall, a display I had somehow never seen before. I was completely taken aback at how many issues we've put out in the past year and a half (five!) and how substantial five (5!) issues all look together. When you lay out five (five!) covers in a row, an overall picture or brand image really does emerge. I've been too close to the process, and the product, to see it until now. I'm proud, I say, proud. And that's only marginally facetious.
Most importantly, we did all agree that we are targeting a broader range of readers than just Those Like Us, and that our focus needs to broaden. We need to recruit more good writers (no mean feat, since we still can't afford to pay) in more places than just San Francisco and New York. This is where you all come in. We need quirks and straight stories, fun and games, trauma and oppression, and things nobody but you knows about. Let us know who you are, let us know what you know, let us know who you know. Hyphen is a community effort. You're the community. Help us shape our magazine.
And if the spirit moves you, drop us a little cash, too!
Posted by claire at 7:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
As if we didn't have enough meetings and retreats, today wuz the Hyphen ("hip hen" to those in the know) editorial retreat chez Todd in San Jose, which Stef really didn't know the way to. As I explained to a newbie, the Hyphen organization is actually 2 years and 9 months old, but we spent the first eight months of that essentially in one long editorial retreat. This is the first re-envisioning of our editorial scope since then. 'Bout time too.
We didn't make any radical changes, just dropped some sections we'd already long ago dropped, consolidated a couple of sections, gave more space to the creative friters and the visual fartists (yay more space!), disagreed rather less than usual (but rather more than not at all), and fixed our schedule of themes for the next three issues. No, I won't tell you what they are. Subscribe and find out!
What I Took Away With Me (*sniff*): some genius laid out all five issues in a row along one wall, a display I had somehow never seen before. I was completely taken aback at how many issues we've put out in the past year and a half (five!) and how substantial five (5!) issues all look together. When you lay out five (five!) covers in a row, an overall picture or brand image really does emerge. I've been too close to the process, and the product, to see it until now. I'm proud, I say, proud. And that's only marginally facetious.
Most importantly, we did all agree that we are targeting a broader range of readers than just Those Like Us, and that our focus needs to broaden. We need to recruit more good writers (no mean feat, since we still can't afford to pay) in more places than just San Francisco and New York. This is where you all come in. We need quirks and straight stories, fun and games, trauma and oppression, and things nobody but you knows about. Let us know who you are, let us know what you know, let us know who you know. Hyphen is a community effort. You're the community. Help us shape our magazine.
And if the spirit moves you, drop us a little cash, too!
Posted by claire at 7:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
At a Hyphen editorial retreat earlier this month, Todd brought up the idea of an Asian American anthem. Stay tuned for his in-depth research into this field, but it really got me thinking about the South Asian music scene and how crazy it is. I was at an awesome APA queer party last night called Persuasion -- and I was dancing up a storm to a set by DJ KBug (an awesome DJ who spins world beats). It was a "dress in drag" party and my tie was flapping around as I busted my bhangra, garba and filmi movies. Tonight is Dhamaal -- the big SF Desi party, with two floors of music. This DJ collective got a Best of the Bay award from the Guardian this year and their party is always packed with a diverse crowd. And you can usually find me in the basement sweating through 4 or 5 hours of beats at this party.
I have been hounding my more musically knowledgeable friends about why South Asian music has become so popular in terms of electronic fusion. Now, somebody please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't really see the same thing happenning with Chinese or Korean or Japanese classical music. Some say it is because the free from of South Asian classical music -- similar to jazz -- makes it especially compatible with turn tables and collaboration. Others says it has to do with the commodification of South Asian culture that dates back to the 1960s with the Beatles going to India. Everyone should check out Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music, for a little history lesson in the origins of the Desi music scene. It really gives you a perspective on how long this scene has been a formidable force in music -- and it goes way back before that annoying Truth Hurts song.
I am also especially interested with the study and play of classical Indian music by young people in this country. Masters like Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan were young men back in the 1960s and there was an explosion of interest in instruments like sitar and tabla. But now there really is a new generation of Asian Americans playing this music and continuing this ancient tradition on. In fact, tonight Alam Khan -- Ali Akbar's 22-year-old son and prodigy -- will be playing one of his first solo concerts ever with tabla master Zakir Hussein. I met Alam back when he was 20 and found him fascinating. Here was a kid who grew up in San Rafael, California, listened to hip hop but has dedicated his life to the study of the sarode. I am equally as fascinated with Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar's daughter.
Then there is Oliver Rajamani, who will be in San Francisco on Sunday night. Honestly, seeing this man live is absolutely mind-blowing. Identifying as Indian and Roma (or Gypsy), Rajamani is based in Austin -- so you Texans should check him out on his home turf. He is a world music extravaganza -- his set travels from Southern India up to Spain down to Africa and then over to Brazil. I know world music often gets a bad reputation for being cheesey, but this man is just pure musical genius. He just keeps singing and picking up different instruments and the audience goes nuts.
Anyway, among all these outlets, I really wonder what will happen to these forms of music a few generations down the line. Will electronic fusion become as common a genre as r&b or country? Will classical music become the hip thing to do for young South Asians? I can't wait to find out.
Posted by neela at 11:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
At a Hyphen editorial retreat earlier this month, Todd brought up the idea of an Asian American anthem. Stay tuned for his in-depth research into this field, but it really got me thinking about the South Asian music scene and how crazy it is. I was at an awesome APA queer party last night called Persuasion -- and I was dancing up a storm to a set by DJ KBug (an awesome DJ who spins world beats). It was a "dress in drag" party and my tie was flapping around as I busted my bhangra, garba and filmi movies. Tonight is Dhamaal -- the big SF Desi party, with two floors of music. This DJ collective got a Best of the Bay award from the Guardian this year and their party is always packed with a diverse crowd. And you can usually find me in the basement sweating through 4 or 5 hours of beats at this party.
I have been hounding my more musically knowledgeable friends about why South Asian music has become so popular in terms of electronic fusion. Now, somebody please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't really see the same thing happenning with Chinese or Korean or Japanese classical music. Some say it is because the free from of South Asian classical music -- similar to jazz -- makes it especially compatible with turn tables and collaboration. Others says it has to do with the commodification of South Asian culture that dates back to the 1960s with the Beatles going to India. Everyone should check out Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music, for a little history lesson in the origins of the Desi music scene. It really gives you a perspective on how long this scene has been a formidable force in music -- and it goes way back before that annoying Truth Hurts song.
I am also especially interested with the study and play of classical Indian music by young people in this country. Masters like Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan were young men back in the 1960s and there was an explosion of interest in instruments like sitar and tabla. But now there really is a new generation of Asian Americans playing this music and continuing this ancient tradition on. In fact, tonight Alam Khan -- Ali Akbar's 22-year-old son and prodigy -- will be playing one of his first solo concerts ever with tabla master Zakir Hussein. I met Alam back when he was 20 and found him fascinating. Here was a kid who grew up in San Rafael, California, listened to hip hop but has dedicated his life to the study of the sarode. I am equally as fascinated with Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar's daughter.
Then there is Oliver Rajamani, who will be in San Francisco on Sunday night. Honestly, seeing this man live is absolutely mind-blowing. Identifying as Indian and Roma (or Gypsy), Rajamani is based in Austin -- so you Texans should check him out on his home turf. He is a world music extravaganza -- his set travels from Southern India up to Spain down to Africa and then over to Brazil. I know world music often gets a bad reputation for being cheesey, but this man is just pure musical genius. He just keeps singing and picking up different instruments and the audience goes nuts.
Anyway, among all these outlets, I really wonder what will happen to these forms of music a few generations down the line. Will electronic fusion become as common a genre as r&b or country? Will classical music become the hip thing to do for young South Asians? I can't wait to find out.
Posted by neela at 11:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
At a Hyphen editorial retreat earlier this month, Todd brought up the idea of an Asian American anthem. Stay tuned for his in-depth research into this field, but it really got me thinking about the South Asian music scene and how crazy it is. I was at an awesome APA queer party last night called Persuasion -- and I was dancing up a storm to a set by DJ KBug (an awesome DJ who spins world beats). It was a "dress in drag" party and my tie was flapping around as I busted my bhangra, garba and filmi movies. Tonight is Dhamaal -- the big SF Desi party, with two floors of music. This DJ collective got a Best of the Bay award from the Guardian this year and their party is always packed with a diverse crowd. And you can usually find me in the basement sweating through 4 or 5 hours of beats at this party.
I have been hounding my more musically knowledgeable friends about why South Asian music has become so popular in terms of electronic fusion. Now, somebody please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't really see the same thing happenning with Chinese or Korean or Japanese classical music. Some say it is because the free from of South Asian classical music -- similar to jazz -- makes it especially compatible with turn tables and collaboration. Others says it has to do with the commodification of South Asian culture that dates back to the 1960s with the Beatles going to India. Everyone should check out Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music, for a little history lesson in the origins of the Desi music scene. It really gives you a perspective on how long this scene has been a formidable force in music -- and it goes way back before that annoying Truth Hurts song.
I am also especially interested with the study and play of classical Indian music by young people in this country. Masters like Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan were young men back in the 1960s and there was an explosion of interest in instruments like sitar and tabla. But now there really is a new generation of Asian Americans playing this music and continuing this ancient tradition on. In fact, tonight Alam Khan -- Ali Akbar's 22-year-old son and prodigy -- will be playing one of his first solo concerts ever with tabla master Zakir Hussein. I met Alam back when he was 20 and found him fascinating. Here was a kid who grew up in San Rafael, California, listened to hip hop but has dedicated his life to the study of the sarode. I am equally as fascinated with Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar's daughter.
Then there is Oliver Rajamani, who will be in San Francisco on Sunday night. Honestly, seeing this man live is absolutely mind-blowing. Identifying as Indian and Roma (or Gypsy), Rajamani is based in Austin -- so you Texans should check him out on his home turf. He is a world music extravaganza -- his set travels from Southern India up to Spain down to Africa and then over to Brazil. I know world music often gets a bad reputation for being cheesey, but this man is just pure musical genius. He just keeps singing and picking up different instruments and the audience goes nuts.
Anyway, among all these outlets, I really wonder what will happen to these forms of music a few generations down the line. Will electronic fusion become as common a genre as r&b or country? Will classical music become the hip thing to do for young South Asians? I can't wait to find out.
Posted by neela at 11:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The Hyphen editorial retreat is this weekend at my house. Aside from family and a few friends, it's the first public showing of our place since we moved in last August. Since summer we've been busy removing wallpaper, ugly wood paneling, acoustic ceiling, repainting the ceiling and walls, installing mirrored closet doors, vinyl windows, baseboards. We also got rid of the original '70s era master bathroom and had a guy come in and install sweet tile, a custom vanity, brand new fixtures and canned lights. We got a lot of help from my folks (who live down the street) as well as some good contractors. We're finally at a place where we can go, phew! Let's have some people over!
Housing seems like a pie in the sky thing in the overpriced Yay but my wife and I did it. We bought in 1999 when the market was just as crazy and her income was the only income we could claim (I was freelancing and we don’t make much). We scraped up enough down payment, found a loan company crazy enough to lend us money, and got into a 3bd/2ba for 312K, bidding over by a good chunk. I remember calling our realtor guy from the gym the day he presented the bid and learning we got the house. I walked into the living room and exclaimed "We're outta here!" and Betty and I jumped around in exhiliration. Then reality hit: Oh shit. Now what? Our $800 rent was going to triple to a $2400 mortgage. Yikes!
After a few re-fi’s, we turned around and sold it in 2004, leveraging our appreciation to get a better house with a little chunk of change left over for improvements and upgrades. I remember the day we listed it. In the morning, I put out a little decorative plate on the kitchen table for realtors to place their cards in when they showed the house. When I came home that night, there were no cards in the dish; over 30 were scattered all over the kitchen table. On the first day. We got calls every morning and evening for a week. It was insane.
The week went by and while driving over to our realtors to weigh the offers, I heard a KGO news report on the housing market. "Some sellers are getting over 40 offers." He could have been talking about us; we had 42 offers. So long story short, we enjoyed our short period as real estate barons before having to look, beg and plead. Yeah we saw some beauties and some dogs. We settled on this place, got screwed sure, but we're in a great neighborhood, on the block I grew up on, down the street from my folks, with a nice pool. We’re getting into the fun part of home improvement: the window treatments, furniture, artwork. Too bad it's winter and we can't have people over to swim.
I read today in the paper that the median price of a house in Santa Clara Valley is $600K. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but that’s what we thought back in 1999. And if we can do it—me in journalism and her in community college career development—anybody can.
Posted by at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Hyphen editorial retreat is this weekend at my house. Aside from family and a few friends, it's the first public showing of our place since we moved in last August. Since summer we've been busy removing wallpaper, ugly wood paneling, acoustic ceiling, repainting the ceiling and walls, installing mirrored closet doors, vinyl windows, baseboards. We also got rid of the original '70s era master bathroom and had a guy come in and install sweet tile, a custom vanity, brand new fixtures and canned lights. We got a lot of help from my folks (who live down the street) as well as some good contractors. We're finally at a place where we can go, phew! Let's have some people over!
Housing seems like a pie in the sky thing in the overpriced Yay but my wife and I did it. We bought in 1999 when the market was just as crazy and her income was the only income we could claim (I was freelancing and we don’t make much). We scraped up enough down payment, found a loan company crazy enough to lend us money, and got into a 3bd/2ba for 312K, bidding over by a good chunk. I remember calling our realtor guy from the gym the day he presented the bid and learning we got the house. I walked into the living room and exclaimed "We're outta here!" and Betty and I jumped around in exhiliration. Then reality hit: Oh shit. Now what? Our $800 rent was going to triple to a $2400 mortgage. Yikes!
After a few re-fi’s, we turned around and sold it in 2004, leveraging our appreciation to get a better house with a little chunk of change left over for improvements and upgrades. I remember the day we listed it. In the morning, I put out a little decorative plate on the kitchen table for realtors to place their cards in when they showed the house. When I came home that night, there were no cards in the dish; over 30 were scattered all over the kitchen table. On the first day. We got calls every morning and evening for a week. It was insane.
The week went by and while driving over to our realtors to weigh the offers, I heard a KGO news report on the housing market. "Some sellers are getting over 40 offers." He could have been talking about us; we had 42 offers. So long story short, we enjoyed our short period as real estate barons before having to look, beg and plead. Yeah we saw some beauties and some dogs. We settled on this place, got screwed sure, but we're in a great neighborhood, on the block I grew up on, down the street from my folks, with a nice pool. We’re getting into the fun part of home improvement: the window treatments, furniture, artwork. Too bad it's winter and we can't have people over to swim.
I read today in the paper that the median price of a house in Santa Clara Valley is $600K. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but that’s what we thought back in 1999. And if we can do it—me in journalism and her in community college career development—anybody can.
Posted by at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Hyphen editorial retreat is this weekend at my house. Aside from family and a few friends, it's the first public showing of our place since we moved in last August. Since summer we've been busy removing wallpaper, ugly wood paneling, acoustic ceiling, repainting the ceiling and walls, installing mirrored closet doors, vinyl windows, baseboards. We also got rid of the original '70s era master bathroom and had a guy come in and install sweet tile, a custom vanity, brand new fixtures and canned lights. We got a lot of help from my folks (who live down the street) as well as some good contractors. We're finally at a place where we can go, phew! Let's have some people over!
Housing seems like a pie in the sky thing in the overpriced Yay but my wife and I did it. We bought in 1999 when the market was just as crazy and her income was the only income we could claim (I was freelancing and we don’t make much). We scraped up enough down payment, found a loan company crazy enough to lend us money, and got into a 3bd/2ba for 312K, bidding over by a good chunk. I remember calling our realtor guy from the gym the day he presented the bid and learning we got the house. I walked into the living room and exclaimed "We're outta here!" and Betty and I jumped around in exhiliration. Then reality hit: Oh shit. Now what? Our $800 rent was going to triple to a $2400 mortgage. Yikes!
After a few re-fi’s, we turned around and sold it in 2004, leveraging our appreciation to get a better house with a little chunk of change left over for improvements and upgrades. I remember the day we listed it. In the morning, I put out a little decorative plate on the kitchen table for realtors to place their cards in when they showed the house. When I came home that night, there were no cards in the dish; over 30 were scattered all over the kitchen table. On the first day. We got calls every morning and evening for a week. It was insane.
The week went by and while driving over to our realtors to weigh the offers, I heard a KGO news report on the housing market. "Some sellers are getting over 40 offers." He could have been talking about us; we had 42 offers. So long story short, we enjoyed our short period as real estate barons before having to look, beg and plead. Yeah we saw some beauties and some dogs. We settled on this place, got screwed sure, but we're in a great neighborhood, on the block I grew up on, down the street from my folks, with a nice pool. We’re getting into the fun part of home improvement: the window treatments, furniture, artwork. Too bad it's winter and we can't have people over to swim.
I read today in the paper that the median price of a house in Santa Clara Valley is $600K. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but that’s what we thought back in 1999. And if we can do it—me in journalism and her in community college career development—anybody can.
Posted by todd at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I woke up this morning and two thoughts popped into my head: "It's Daddy's birthday! I need to call him later!" and "Holy-freaking-crap! It's my turn to blog today, but I don't know what to write about."
It's not that I hate this blog; I love reading it and writing for it. It's just that I'm feeling over-Hyphen-ated. Since returning from NYC over a week ago, I've been running on empty trying to stay on top of my final projects for school, and Hyphen. A girl can only do so much when she averages a couple hours of sleep a night, and drinks Red Bull and coffee. One of my professors sent me home from class last week because I fell asleep in the middle of lecture. On Tuesday my doctor told me (though not in these words) that Hyphen has been a "bad boyfriend" for being so demanding.
It sucks that it took being sick for me to get some sleep (and a two-day respite from Hyphen) finally. Much to the chagrin of some friends and my doctor, I've still been working (in bed) on my laptop. So I'm not totally out of the loop:
I mentioned a Filipino American filmmaker named Patricio Ginelsa before (in a previous blog entry), right? Lumpia's coming out on DVD November 23rd. Check out the website for more info.
In addition, on the 23rd Ginelsa will be releasing a special "concert" DVD called Lumpia-palooza featuring footage of live performances from Golda Supanova, DJ Swift Rock and more. There are music videos by artists like Inner Voices, The Skyflakes, and Titofelix. I wonder if the music video Ginelsa directed for the Black Eyed Peas ("The APL Song") is included?
What looks really promising is what I think is a spoof of the VH1 show Bands Reunited. DJ Freska (she's a radio DJ in the Bay Area on 94.9 FM and the host of Stateside [the Fil-Am version of Stir TV]) goes in search of Buffy and the Kandee Girls, in order to reunite them for one last performance. Although I went through a very short Freestyle phase when I was younger (late '80s, early '90s), I wasn't as hardcore into it like some of my friends (ahem, like my best friend Y).
Also, while in NYC my new friend Jude hipped me to an organization in Philly called Asian Arts Initiative. Tomorrow night they will be hosting an event called Changing the Face of the Game: Asian Americans in Hip Hop, with a panel moderated by Oliver "O-Dub" Wang and performances by Chops (from the Mountain Brothers), Jin, and others. If there are any Philly Hyphen readers, go to the event and tell 'em I sent you! And say Hi to Oliver, he's a really nice guy who I call the "Asian American Kurt Loder" (you'll figure it out when you hear him speak).
Wish I could be there, but I was out East last week and... I'm sick, dammit!
Posted by Audrey at 8:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I woke up this morning and two thoughts popped into my head: "It's Daddy's birthday! I need to call him later!" and "Holy-freaking-crap! It's my turn to blog today, but I don't know what to write about."
It's not that I hate this blog; I love reading it and writing for it. It's just that I'm feeling over-Hyphen-ated. Since returning from NYC over a week ago, I've been running on empty trying to stay on top of my final projects for school, and Hyphen. A girl can only do so much when she averages a couple hours of sleep a night, and drinks Red Bull and coffee. One of my professors sent me home from class last week because I fell asleep in the middle of lecture. On Tuesday my doctor told me (though not in these words) that Hyphen has been a "bad boyfriend" for being so demanding.
It sucks that it took being sick for me to get some sleep (and a two-day respite from Hyphen) finally. Much to the chagrin of some friends and my doctor, I've still been working (in bed) on my laptop. So I'm not totally out of the loop:
I mentioned a Filipino American filmmaker named Patricio Ginelsa before (in a previous blog entry), right? Lumpia's coming out on DVD November 23rd. Check out the website for more info.
In addition, on the 23rd Ginelsa will be releasing a special "concert" DVD called Lumpia-palooza featuring footage of live performances from Golda Supanova, DJ Swift Rock and more. There are music videos by artists like Inner Voices, The Skyflakes, and Titofelix. I wonder if the music video Ginelsa directed for the Black Eyed Peas ("The APL Song") is included?
What looks really promising is what I think is a spoof of the VH1 show Bands Reunited. DJ Freska (she's a radio DJ in the Bay Area on 94.9 FM and the host of Stateside [the Fil-Am version of Stir TV]) goes in search of Buffy and the Kandee Girls, in order to reunite them for one last performance. Although I went through a very short Freestyle phase when I was younger (late '80s, early '90s), I wasn't as hardcore into it like some of my friends (ahem, like my best friend Y).
Also, while in NYC my new friend Jude hipped me to an organization in Philly called Asian Arts Initiative. Tomorrow night they will be hosting an event called Changing the Face of the Game: Asian Americans in Hip Hop, with a panel moderated by Oliver "O-Dub" Wang and performances by Chops (from the Mountain Brothers), Jin, and others. If there are any Philly Hyphen readers, go to the event and tell 'em I sent you! And say Hi to Oliver, he's a really nice guy who I call the "Asian American Kurt Loder" (you'll figure it out when you hear him speak).
Wish I could be there, but I was out East last week and... I'm sick, dammit!
Posted by Audrey at 8:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I woke up this morning and two thoughts popped into my head: "It's Daddy's birthday! I need to call him later!" and "Holy-freaking-crap! It's my turn to blog today, but I don't know what to write about."
It's not that I hate this blog; I love reading it and writing for it. It's just that I'm feeling over-Hyphen-ated. Since returning from NYC over a week ago, I've been running on empty trying to stay on top of my final projects for school, and Hyphen. A girl can only do so much when she averages a couple hours of sleep a night, and drinks Red Bull and coffee. One of my professors sent me home from class last week because I fell asleep in the middle of lecture. On Tuesday my doctor told me (though not in these words) that Hyphen has been a "bad boyfriend" for being so demanding.
It sucks that it took being sick for me to get some sleep (and a two-day respite from Hyphen) finally. Much to the chagrin of some friends and my doctor, I've still been working (in bed) on my laptop. So I'm not totally out of the loop:
I mentioned a Filipino American filmmaker named Patricio Ginelsa before (in a previous blog entry), right? Lumpia's coming out on DVD November 23rd. Check out the website for more info.
In addition, on the 23rd Ginelsa will be releasing a special "concert" DVD called Lumpia-palooza featuring footage of live performances from Golda Supanova, DJ Swift Rock and more. There are music videos by artists like Inner Voices, The Skyflakes, and Titofelix. I wonder if the music video Ginelsa directed for the Black Eyed Peas ("The APL Song") is included?
What looks really promising is what I think is a spoof of the VH1 show Bands Reunited. DJ Freska (she's a radio DJ in the Bay Area on 94.9 FM and the host of Stateside [the Fil-Am version of Stir TV]) goes in search of Buffy and the Kandee Girls, in order to reunite them for one last performance. Although I went through a very short Freestyle phase when I was younger (late '80s, early '90s), I wasn't as hardcore into it like some of my friends (ahem, like my best friend Y).
Also, while in NYC my new friend Jude hipped me to an organization in Philly called Asian Arts Initiative. Tomorrow night they will be hosting an event called Changing the Face of the Game: Asian Americans in Hip Hop, with a panel moderated by Oliver "O-Dub" Wang and performances by Chops (from the Mountain Brothers), Jin, and others. If there are any Philly Hyphen readers, go to the event and tell 'em I sent you! And say Hi to Oliver, he's a really nice guy who I call the "Asian American Kurt Loder" (you'll figure it out when you hear him speak).
Wish I could be there, but I was out East last week and... I'm sick, dammit!
Posted by Audrey at 8:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
My fellow Hyphen editors have probably heard me rave over the rarely mentioned international "sport" that Asians and Asian Americans are truly kicking ass at: the world of competitive eating.
Takeru Kobayashi, a 26-year-old Japanese man and the world's undisputed and undefeated champ in hot-dog eating, rocked another American crowd at an eating contest in Tennessee this week, polishing off 69 hamburgers in eight minutes. A lot of people have heard of Kobayashi because of his success at the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest in NYC's Coney Island--at about 130 pounds, he can easily put away 50-plus hot dogs in minutes.
Amazing, right? But check out Sonya Thomas, a very cute, very petite Korean American woman who is not only the world's competitive eating champ for women, but regularly beats out all the men, putting big dudes like the Refigerator Perry to shame. Thomas came in second to Kobayashi in the burger contest (at 46 burgers in eight minutes), and she's also won the International Federation of Competitive Eating's Thanksgiving Invitational, and contests in asparagus, chicken wings, fruitcake, and turducken. No joke.
I guess I look at competitive eating in half-fascination, half-disgust. It's truly a sickening show of excess, especially in a world of extreme haves and have-nots, and serious gross-out waste of food. But how, just how do they do it? And is excelling in competitive eating something Asian Americans should be proud about? I don't know, it never ceases to amaze me--as well as make me just a tiny bit proud--that "small" Asians like Thomas and Kobayashi can eat circles around their girthier competitors.
This New York Times article is a particularly amusing look at how a big white guy from Virginia attempts to beat Kobayashi at the Nathan's contest--even going so far as to play dirty and crank call Kobayashi in the middle of the night before the competition to screw up his sleep--but walked away shamed for sure. In the article, doctors posit that perhaps the secret behind competitive eating is being able to ignore signals to brain that they are full, or that, perhaps, "a gifted eater like Kobayashi may be able to naturally pass a certain amount of undigested food from his stomach into his intestine." Nice.
Posted by Lisa at 2:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
My fellow Hyphen editors have probably heard me rave over the rarely mentioned international "sport" that Asians and Asian Americans are truly kicking ass at: the world of competitive eating.
Takeru Kobayashi, a 26-year-old Japanese man and the world's undisputed and undefeated champ in hot-dog eating, rocked another American crowd at an eating contest in Tennessee this week, polishing off 69 hamburgers in eight minutes. A lot of people have heard of Kobayashi because of his success at the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest in NYC's Coney Island--at about 130 pounds, he can easily put away 50-plus hot dogs in minutes.
Amazing, right? But check out Sonya Thomas, a very cute, very petite Korean American woman who is not only the world's competitive eating champ for women, but regularly beats out all the men, putting big dudes like the Refigerator Perry to shame. Thomas came in second to Kobayashi in the burger contest (at 46 burgers in eight minutes), and she's also won the International Federation of Competitive Eating's Thanksgiving Invitational, and contests in asparagus, chicken wings, fruitcake, and turducken. No joke.
I guess I look at competitive eating in half-fascination, half-disgust. It's truly a sickening show of excess, especially in a world of extreme haves and have-nots, and serious gross-out waste of food. But how, just how do they do it? And is excelling in competitive eating something Asian Americans should be proud about? I don't know, it never ceases to amaze me--as well as make me just a tiny bit proud--that "small" Asians like Thomas and Kobayashi can eat circles around their girthier competitors.
This New York Times article is a particularly amusing look at how a big white guy from Virginia attempts to beat Kobayashi at the Nathan's contest--even going so far as to play dirty and crank call Kobayashi in the middle of the night before the competition to screw up his sleep--but walked away shamed for sure. In the article, doctors posit that perhaps the secret behind competitive eating is being able to ignore signals to brain that they are full, or that, perhaps, "a gifted eater like Kobayashi may be able to naturally pass a certain amount of undigested food from his stomach into his intestine." Nice.
Posted by Lisa at 2:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
My fellow Hyphen editors have probably heard me rave over the rarely mentioned international "sport" that Asians and Asian Americans are truly kicking ass at: the world of competitive eating.
Takeru Kobayashi, a 26-year-old Japanese man and the world's undisputed and undefeated champ in hot-dog eating, rocked another American crowd at an eating contest in Tennessee this week, polishing off 69 hamburgers in eight minutes. A lot of people have heard of Kobayashi because of his success at the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest in NYC's Coney Island--at about 130 pounds, he can easily put away 50-plus hot dogs in minutes.
Amazing, right? But check out Sonya Thomas, a very cute, very petite Korean American woman who is not only the world's competitive eating champ for women, but regularly beats out all the men, putting big dudes like the Refigerator Perry to shame. Thomas came in second to Kobayashi in the burger contest (at 46 burgers in eight minutes), and she's also won the International Federation of Competitive Eating's Thanksgiving Invitational, and contests in asparagus, chicken wings, fruitcake, and turducken. No joke.
I guess I look at competitive eating in half-fascination, half-disgust. It's truly a sickening show of excess, especially in a world of extreme haves and have-nots, and serious gross-out waste of food. But how, just how do they do it? And is excelling in competitive eating something Asian Americans should be proud about? I don't know, it never ceases to amaze me--as well as make me just a tiny bit proud--that "small" Asians like Thomas and Kobayashi can eat circles around their girthier competitors.
This New York Times article is a particularly amusing look at how a big white guy from Virginia attempts to beat Kobayashi at the Nathan's contest--even going so far as to play dirty and crank call Kobayashi in the middle of the night before the competition to screw up his sleep--but walked away shamed for sure. In the article, doctors posit that perhaps the secret behind competitive eating is being able to ignore signals to brain that they are full, or that, perhaps, "a gifted eater like Kobayashi may be able to naturally pass a certain amount of undigested food from his stomach into his intestine." Nice.
Posted by Lisa at 2:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
There's been a question that pops into my mind every six months or so, seemingly unanswerable: what will be the next pearl milk tea?
Boba, bubble tea, call it what you like, it's become a staple in the Asian malls of America --with relatively wide crossover appeal. It's all over East Asia (anyone know about South or Southeast Asia?) and making inroads into the red states (I've had it in Vegas). Plus, it's delicious.
So I'd like to propose a few contenders for the next Asian food craze. Feel free to borrow these ideas and make your first million!
Oyaki: These simple buns, eaten in the Japanese Alps, are stuffed with any number of fillings: pumpkin, mountain vegetables, mushrooms, eggplant, nozawana (a leafy vegetable), azuki beans. And then they are roasted OVER A FIRE! As you know, almost anything cooked over open flames is delicious. You will be amazed at the flavor sensation created.
Rou song panini: Someone who actually speaks Chinese should correct my spelling --I'm referring to that shredded, dried, flavored Chinese pork stuff. It's kind of fluffy, a little sweet, and I used to down it by the handful as a kid. It would be great with some melting cheddar on a grilled sandwich. Try it at home, kids.
Laotian sushi: Laos is actually landlocked, but they harvest vegetables from the Mekong River --a kind of riverweed. The Lao genuises dry it flat so it looks like nori, but they add tomatoes and garlic and sesame that dry also and stick to the sheets. Usually it's served quick-fried crisp, but it would be a fabulous wrapper for hand rolls --salmon, advocado, and spicy tuna.
Cheese udon: I actually ate this in Tokyo --a bowl of hot noodles, in soup, with a couple fistfuls of grated mozzarella dropped in. A melting, gooey, delicious mess. Melted cheese is up there with fire-roasted in making anything taste fabuloso. Eating it's a two-handed affair, chopsticks and wooden spoon --and don't wear your nice white shirt.
Spring roll extravaganza: The translucent rice paper used in Vietnamese spring rolls is delicious wrapped around just about anything. (Try it if you don't believe me). Thus, a new restaurant concept! Patrons order up a plate of the fillings of their choice --Chinese roast pork, thai spiced shredded chicken, roast shrimp, braised tofu, Korean barbecue-- and wrap it themselves with herbs, rice noodles, and crisp veggies. A condiment buffet would be available, with lots of that delicious fish sauce.
Just be sure to mention me as your muse when you make it big.
PS: Details of the Abercrombie settlement are in: a cool 40 million bucks. link
Posted by jennifer at 8:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
There's been a question that pops into my mind every six months or so, seemingly unanswerable: what will be the next pearl milk tea?
Boba, bubble tea, call it what you like, it's become a staple in the Asian malls of America --with relatively wide crossover appeal. It's all over East Asia (anyone know about South or Southeast Asia?) and making inroads into the red states (I've had it in Vegas). Plus, it's delicious.
So I'd like to propose a few contenders for the next Asian food craze. Feel free to borrow these ideas and make your first million!
Oyaki: These simple buns, eaten in the Japanese Alps, are stuffed with any number of fillings: pumpkin, mountain vegetables, mushrooms, eggplant, nozawana (a leafy vegetable), azuki beans. And then they are roasted OVER A FIRE! As you know, almost anything cooked over open flames is delicious. You will be amazed at the flavor sensation created.
Rou song panini: Someone who actually speaks Chinese should correct my spelling --I'm referring to that shredded, dried, flavored Chinese pork stuff. It's kind of fluffy, a little sweet, and I used to down it by the handful as a kid. It would be great with some melting cheddar on a grilled sandwich. Try it at home, kids.
Laotian sushi: Laos is actually landlocked, but they harvest vegetables from the Mekong River --a kind of riverweed. The Lao genuises dry it flat so it looks like nori, but they add tomatoes and garlic and sesame that dry also and stick to the sheets. Usually it's served quick-fried crisp, but it would be a fabulous wrapper for hand rolls --salmon, advocado, and spicy tuna.
Cheese udon: I actually ate this in Tokyo --a bowl of hot noodles, in soup, with a couple fistfuls of grated mozzarella dropped in. A melting, gooey, delicious mess. Melted cheese is up there with fire-roasted in making anything taste fabuloso. Eating it's a two-handed affair, chopsticks and wooden spoon --and don't wear your nice white shirt.
Spring roll extravaganza: The translucent rice paper used in Vietnamese spring rolls is delicious wrapped around just about anything. (Try it if you don't believe me). Thus, a new restaurant concept! Patrons order up a plate of the fillings of their choice --Chinese roast pork, thai spiced shredded chicken, roast shrimp, braised tofu, Korean barbecue-- and wrap it themselves with herbs, rice noodles, and crisp veggies. A condiment buffet would be available, with lots of that delicious fish sauce.
Just be sure to mention me as your muse when you make it big.
PS: Details of the Abercrombie settlement are in: a cool 40 million bucks. link
Posted by jennifer at 8:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
There's been a question that pops into my mind every six months or so, seemingly unanswerable: what will be the next pearl milk tea?
Boba, bubble tea, call it what you like, it's become a staple in the Asian malls of America --with relatively wide crossover appeal. It's all over East Asia (anyone know about South or Southeast Asia?) and making inroads into the red states (I've had it in Vegas). Plus, it's delicious.
So I'd like to propose a few contenders for the next Asian food craze. Feel free to borrow these ideas and make your first million!
Oyaki: These simple buns, eaten in the Japanese Alps, are stuffed with any number of fillings: pumpkin, mountain vegetables, mushrooms, eggplant, nozawana (a leafy vegetable), azuki beans. And then they are roasted OVER A FIRE! As you know, almost anything cooked over open flames is delicious. You will be amazed at the flavor sensation created.
Rou song panini: Someone who actually speaks Chinese should correct my spelling --I'm referring to that shredded, dried, flavored Chinese pork stuff. It's kind of fluffy, a little sweet, and I used to down it by the handful as a kid. It would be great with some melting cheddar on a grilled sandwich. Try it at home, kids.
Laotian sushi: Laos is actually landlocked, but they harvest vegetables from the Mekong River --a kind of riverweed. The Lao genuises dry it flat so it looks like nori, but they add tomatoes and garlic and sesame that dry also and stick to the sheets. Usually it's served quick-fried crisp, but it would be a fabulous wrapper for hand rolls --salmon, advocado, and spicy tuna.
Cheese udon: I actually ate this in Tokyo --a bowl of hot noodles, in soup, with a couple fistfuls of grated mozzarella dropped in. A melting, gooey, delicious mess. Melted cheese is up there with fire-roasted in making anything taste fabuloso. Eating it's a two-handed affair, chopsticks and wooden spoon --and don't wear your nice white shirt.
Spring roll extravaganza: The translucent rice paper used in Vietnamese spring rolls is delicious wrapped around just about anything. (Try it if you don't believe me). Thus, a new restaurant concept! Patrons order up a plate of the fillings of their choice --Chinese roast pork, thai spiced shredded chicken, roast shrimp, braised tofu, Korean barbecue-- and wrap it themselves with herbs, rice noodles, and crisp veggies. A condiment buffet would be available, with lots of that delicious fish sauce.
Just be sure to mention me as your muse when you make it big.
PS: Details of the Abercrombie settlement are in: a cool 40 million bucks. link
Posted by jennifer at 8:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I know. I suck for not writing in here earlier. I'm swamped trying to put together our editorial retreat for this weekend, answering Heeb magazine's table tennis challenge. (We're on! On December 10th, the paddles will fly and we will see once and for all, who rules this sport! Details TBA), and that thing called a day job, which I need to get up in 5.5 hours for. Oh, the joys of running a volunteer-run magazine with a shoe-string budget. (Feel free to send us Starbucks coupons.)
Oh, and here's some news:
Abercrombie sees a drop in earnings thanks to a discrimination lawsuit. Serves them right.
Whether or not he likes it, Jin's representing APAs.
And since we're talking about Iris Chang and depression, here's a story (albiet an old one) about Asian Americans and access to mental health help by yours truly.
Posted by Melissa at 11:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I know. I suck for not writing in here earlier. I'm swamped trying to put together our editorial retreat for this weekend, answering Heeb magazine's table tennis challenge. (We're on! On December 10th, the paddles will fly and we will see once and for all, who rules this sport! Details TBA), and that thing called a day job, which I need to get up in 5.5 hours for. Oh, the joys of running a volunteer-run magazine with a shoe-string budget. (Feel free to send us Starbucks coupons.)
Oh, and here's some news:
Abercrombie sees a drop in earnings thanks to a discrimination lawsuit. Serves them right.
Whether or not he likes it, Jin's representing APAs.
And since we're talking about Iris Chang and depression, here's a story (albiet an old one) about Asian Americans and access to mental health help by yours truly.
Posted by Melissa at 11:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I know. I suck for not writing in here earlier. I'm swamped trying to put together our editorial retreat for this weekend, answering Heeb magazine's table tennis challenge. (We're on! On December 10th, the paddles will fly and we will see once and for all, who rules this sport! Details TBA), and that thing called a day job, which I need to get up in 5.5 hours for. Oh, the joys of running a volunteer-run magazine with a shoe-string budget. (Feel free to send us Starbucks coupons.)
Oh, and here's some news:
Abercrombie sees a drop in earnings thanks to a discrimination lawsuit. Serves them right.
Whether or not he likes it, Jin's representing APAs.
And since we're talking about Iris Chang and depression, here's a story (albiet an old one) about Asian Americans and access to mental health help by yours truly.
Posted by Melissa at 11:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Inspired by an email from Joseph O. Legaspi, whose poem "First Cigarette" appeared in Hyphen #3, I thought I'd get a list started of Asian American markets, competitions and awards for creative writing. What I'm posting here is distinctly non-exhaustive (and maybe a little restive will cure that) so please feel free to post your own tips below. All Asian American all the time only, though, please.
Firstly, you can always submit your poetry, fiction, prose non-fic, scripts, rants, poops, brainfarts, etc. to me at Hyphen. (SUBMIT to me! The joy in submission! *whip crack*!) Useful hint: get my submission guidelines first (request to claire -at- hyphenmagazine.com. Caveat: prose must be under 3000 words or else eminently serializable.
Joseph Legaspi of Asian American poetry organization Kundiman announces the Vincent Chin
Memorial Chapbook Prize, a competition in search of the best Asian American 15-20 page poetry chapbook on any subject. Deadline: December 15 (get on it!) Caveat: you can't have published more than one book.
Of course, the perennial favorite in the Asian American lit journal league is The Asian Pacific American Journal -- maybe cuz it's kinda the only game in town? (Please prove me wrong!) In the meantime, I'm not sure which info is correct, the one in the link above, or this one, so check 'em both out. Downside: I don't really see one.
Don't forget the kickass Asian American Writers' Workshop in New York, which publishes the abovementioned Asian Pacific American Journal and whose executive director, Quang Bao, is on Hyphen's advisory board. Their current opportunity is a poetry manuscript competition for published Asian American poets. Deadline: December 3 (so don't start writing that MS now.) Caveat: you have to have published a book -- no chapbooks or self-publishing, but the MS you submit must not be published. AAWW is also administering the Van Lier fellowship program for Asian American playwrights. The information is on the same page as the poetry manuscript competition info, just scroll down. Deadline: also Dec. 3. Caveat: you have to live in NYC and be a member of AAWW and other things. Read the guidelines carefully.
AAWW also offers the Asian American Literary Awards for published work in pretty much all genres (authors can submit their own applications). The deadline for work published in 2003 is long past, but keep an eye open for the 2004 awards.
InvAsian online journal accepts submissions of journalism, but also personal essays relating to Asian or Asian Pacific American issues and experiences. Caveat: they don't pay, but then, who does?
For that Desi love, submit your essays, poems, short stories, and reviews to the online journal desijournal.com. For those out the know, Desi = South Asian.
And never forget Kaya Press, publisher of Asian diasporic literature. When you're ready to shop that book manuscript around, submit here.
I've been wondering for a while if APA arts journal dis*Orient accepts submissions but there's no info on the website about it so chances are, no. It also seems to be only for folks in LA. What's the troof? Please tell me. I also found an online journal called lanternonline.org, but the url isn't working tonight. Just a tech blip? You tell me.
Also, I didn't have time to check through all of the multitude of links to APA publications on AA Risings' links page. If anyone has the time and wants to post further creative writing opps, please be my guest.
In fact, tell me, and everyone else, what I've missed of Asian American print and online publishing opps. And keep those pens aworkin'!
Posted by claire at 9:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Inspired by an email from Joseph O. Legaspi, whose poem "First Cigarette" appeared in Hyphen #3, I thought I'd get a list started of Asian American markets, competitions and awards for creative writing. What I'm posting here is distinctly non-exhaustive (and maybe a little restive will cure that) so please feel free to post your own tips below. All Asian American all the time only, though, please.
Firstly, you can always submit your poetry, fiction, prose non-fic, scripts, rants, poops, brainfarts, etc. to me at Hyphen. (SUBMIT to me! The joy in submission! *whip crack*!) Useful hint: get my submission guidelines first (request to claire -at- hyphenmagazine.com. Caveat: prose must be under 3000 words or else eminently serializable.
Joseph Legaspi of Asian American poetry organization Kundiman announces the Vincent Chin
Memorial Chapbook Prize, a competition in search of the best Asian American 15-20 page poetry chapbook on any subject. Deadline: December 15 (get on it!) Caveat: you can't have published more than one book.
Of course, the perennial favorite in the Asian American lit journal league is The Asian Pacific American Journal -- maybe cuz it's kinda the only game in town? (Please prove me wrong!) In the meantime, I'm not sure which info is correct, the one in the link above, or this one, so check 'em both out. Downside: I don't really see one.
Don't forget the kickass Asian American Writers' Workshop in New York, which publishes the abovementioned Asian Pacific American Journal and whose executive director, Quang Bao, is on Hyphen's advisory board. Their current opportunity is a poetry manuscript competition for published Asian American poets. Deadline: December 3 (so don't start writing that MS now.) Caveat: you have to have published a book -- no chapbooks or self-publishing, but the MS you submit must not be published. AAWW is also administering the Van Lier fellowship program for Asian American playwrights. The information is on the same page as the poetry manuscript competition info, just scroll down. Deadline: also Dec. 3. Caveat: you have to live in NYC and be a member of AAWW and other things. Read the guidelines carefully.
AAWW also offers the Asian American Literary Awards for published work in pretty much all genres (authors can submit their own applications). The deadline for work published in 2003 is long past, but keep an eye open for the 2004 awards.
InvAsian online journal accepts submissions of journalism, but also personal essays relating to Asian or Asian Pacific American issues and experiences. Caveat: they don't pay, but then, who does?
For that Desi love, submit your essays, poems, short stories, and reviews to the online journal desijournal.com. For those out the know, Desi = South Asian.
And never forget Kaya Press, publisher of Asian diasporic literature. When you're ready to shop that book manuscript around, submit here.
I've been wondering for a while if APA arts journal dis*Orient accepts submissions but there's no info on the website about it so chances are, no. It also seems to be only for folks in LA. What's the troof? Please tell me. I also found an online journal called lanternonline.org, but the url isn't working tonight. Just a tech blip? You tell me.
Also, I didn't have time to check through all of the multitude of links to APA publications on AA Risings' links page. If anyone has the time and wants to post further creative writing opps, please be my guest.
In fact, tell me, and everyone else, what I've missed of Asian American print and online publishing opps. And keep those pens aworkin'!
Posted by claire at 9:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Inspired by an email from Joseph O. Legaspi, whose poem "First Cigarette" appeared in Hyphen #3, I thought I'd get a list started of Asian American markets, competitions and awards for creative writing. What I'm posting here is distinctly non-exhaustive (and maybe a little restive will cure that) so please feel free to post your own tips below. All Asian American all the time only, though, please.
Firstly, you can always submit your poetry, fiction, prose non-fic, scripts, rants, poops, brainfarts, etc. to me at Hyphen. (SUBMIT to me! The joy in submission! *whip crack*!) Useful hint: get my submission guidelines first (request to claire -at- hyphenmagazine.com. Caveat: prose must be under 3000 words or else eminently serializable.
Joseph Legaspi of Asian American poetry organization Kundiman announces the Vincent Chin
Memorial Chapbook Prize, a competition in search of the best Asian American 15-20 page poetry chapbook on any subject. Deadline: December 15 (get on it!) Caveat: you can't have published more than one book.
Of course, the perennial favorite in the Asian American lit journal league is The Asian Pacific American Journal -- maybe cuz it's kinda the only game in town? (Please prove me wrong!) In the meantime, I'm not sure which info is correct, the one in the link above, or this one, so check 'em both out. Downside: I don't really see one.
Don't forget the kickass Asian American Writers' Workshop in New York, which publishes the abovementioned Asian Pacific American Journal and whose executive director, Quang Bao, is on Hyphen's advisory board. Their current opportunity is a poetry manuscript competition for published Asian American poets. Deadline: December 3 (so don't start writing that MS now.) Caveat: you have to have published a book -- no chapbooks or self-publishing, but the MS you submit must not be published. AAWW is also administering the Van Lier fellowship program for Asian American playwrights. The information is on the same page as the poetry manuscript competition info, just scroll down. Deadline: also Dec. 3. Caveat: you have to live in NYC and be a member of AAWW and other things. Read the guidelines carefully.
AAWW also offers the Asian American Literary Awards for published work in pretty much all genres (authors can submit their own applications). The deadline for work published in 2003 is long past, but keep an eye open for the 2004 awards.
InvAsian online journal accepts submissions of journalism, but also personal essays relating to Asian or Asian Pacific American issues and experiences. Caveat: they don't pay, but then, who does?
For that Desi love, submit your essays, poems, short stories, and reviews to the online journal desijournal.com. For those out the know, Desi = South Asian.
And never forget Kaya Press, publisher of Asian diasporic literature. When you're ready to shop that book manuscript around, submit here.
I've been wondering for a while if APA arts journal dis*Orient accepts submissions but there's no info on the website about it so chances are, no. It also seems to be only for folks in LA. What's the troof? Please tell me. I also found an online journal called lanternonline.org, but the url isn't working tonight. Just a tech blip? You tell me.
Also, I didn't have time to check through all of the multitude of links to APA publications on AA Risings' links page. If anyone has the time and wants to post further creative writing opps, please be my guest.
In fact, tell me, and everyone else, what I've missed of Asian American print and online publishing opps. And keep those pens aworkin'!
Posted by claire at 9:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
So, this Hyphen blogger has been AWOL for a couple weeks due to excessive running around the country. But first, speaking of bloggers, have you all heard about this lovely hapa lady, whose tell-all blog got her into all kinds of trouble and then into all kinds of bad publicity? There is another great article about how blogging the details of your sex life does not a feminist make.
So, I was in Florida last week on election day taking some of the thousands of unrecieved absentee ballots to old folks who were too old/sick to leave their homes to go vote. While it was amazing to stand next to an old lady who could barely breathe and help her make sure her vote got heard -- it was even more crushing when Florida went to Bush. Plus, I'm from Ohio and seeing how it all came down to my home state made me want to go back there and run for office. (Speaking of Ohio, check out what the Republicans tried to do to my Uncle -- who is currently in Iraq.) Well, kindof, for a few minutes anyway. Seeing the division of the country did make me realize how important it is for there to be more organizers/educators/progressive folks making change in Middle America though.
Anyway, in South Asian sexuality news: I was in Houston a couple of weekends ago promoting the anthology Desilicious, a collection of writing about sexuality by South Asians -- which Hyphen covered back in Issue 1 or 2. It was really inspiring to getogether with a bunch of young South Asians from different backgrounds and professions and talk about issues of sexuality. More of that needs to happen.
Anyway, in ending I’d just like to wish Happy Diwali and Happy End-of Ramadan to everyone. So enjoy lighting fireworks and feasting!
I heard in my yoga class today that this time of year we are most emotionally vulnerable, so everyone should do something nourishing like having a dinner party where everyone shares their art or taking a hot bath with candles. It does wonders.
Posted by neela at 8:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
So, this Hyphen blogger has been AWOL for a couple weeks due to excessive running around the country. But first, speaking of bloggers, have you all heard about this lovely hapa lady, whose tell-all blog got her into all kinds of trouble and then into all kinds of bad publicity? There is another great article about how blogging the details of your sex life does not a feminist make.
So, I was in Florida last week on election day taking some of the thousands of unrecieved absentee ballots to old folks who were too old/sick to leave their homes to go vote. While it was amazing to stand next to an old lady who could barely breathe and help her make sure her vote got heard -- it was even more crushing when Florida went to Bush. Plus, I'm from Ohio and seeing how it all came down to my home state made me want to go back there and run for office. (Speaking of Ohio, check out what the Republicans tried to do to my Uncle -- who is currently in Iraq.) Well, kindof, for a few minutes anyway. Seeing the division of the country did make me realize how important it is for there to be more organizers/educators/progressive folks making change in Middle America though.
Anyway, in South Asian sexuality news: I was in Houston a couple of weekends ago promoting the anthology Desilicious, a collection of writing about sexuality by South Asians -- which Hyphen covered back in Issue 1 or 2. It was really inspiring to getogether with a bunch of young South Asians from different backgrounds and professions and talk about issues of sexuality. More of that needs to happen.
Anyway, in ending I’d just like to wish Happy Diwali and Happy End-of Ramadan to everyone. So enjoy lighting fireworks and feasting!
I heard in my yoga class today that this time of year we are most emotionally vulnerable, so everyone should do something nourishing like having a dinner party where everyone shares their art or taking a hot bath with candles. It does wonders.
Posted by neela at 8:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
So, this Hyphen blogger has been AWOL for a couple weeks due to excessive running around the country. But first, speaking of bloggers, have you all heard about this lovely hapa lady, whose tell-all blog got her into all kinds of trouble and then into all kinds of bad publicity? There is another great article about how blogging the details of your sex life does not a feminist make.
So, I was in Florida last week on election day taking some of the thousands of unrecieved absentee ballots to old folks who were too old/sick to leave their homes to go vote. While it was amazing to stand next to an old lady who could barely breathe and help her make sure her vote got heard -- it was even more crushing when Florida went to Bush. Plus, I'm from Ohio and seeing how it all came down to my home state made me want to go back there and run for office. (Speaking of Ohio, check out what the Republicans tried to do to my Uncle -- who is currently in Iraq.) Well, kindof, for a few minutes anyway. Seeing the division of the country did make me realize how important it is for there to be more organizers/educators/progressive folks making change in Middle America though.
Anyway, in South Asian sexuality news: I was in Houston a couple of weekends ago promoting the anthology Desilicious, a collection of writing about sexuality by South Asians -- which Hyphen covered back in Issue 1 or 2. It was really inspiring to getogether with a bunch of young South Asians from different backgrounds and professions and talk about issues of sexuality. More of that needs to happen.
Anyway, in ending I’d just like to wish Happy Diwali and Happy End-of Ramadan to everyone. So enjoy lighting fireworks and feasting!
I heard in my yoga class today that this time of year we are most emotionally vulnerable, so everyone should do something nourishing like having a dinner party where everyone shares their art or taking a hot bath with candles. It does wonders.
Posted by neela at 8:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I swear this blog sneaks up on me every week and I sit here thinking, what the hell do I write about?
So I'll cheat and put up a link that I found extraordinary: Japanese women slapping each other.
Reminds me of Hyphen meetings. Har har.
Posted by at 9:57 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
I swear this blog sneaks up on me every week and I sit here thinking, what the hell do I write about?
So I'll cheat and put up a link that I found extraordinary: Japanese women slapping each other.
Reminds me of Hyphen meetings. Har har.
Posted by at 9:57 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
I swear this blog sneaks up on me every week and I sit here thinking, what the hell do I write about?
So I'll cheat and put up a link that I found extraordinary: Japanese women slapping each other.
Reminds me of Hyphen meetings. Har har.
Posted by todd at 9:57 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Now that I've returned to Hyphenland (also known as my apartment [Melissa, Hyphen 's editor, is my roommate) from NYC, I am slowly playing catch-up on emails (both personal and Hyphen-related), voicemail messages, school work (finals!), unpacking, and just life in general.
Lots of love to my friend Anhoni, who forwarded me a link to this site last week. I'm sorry too, but I'd rather get an apology from everyone who voted for Dubya.
But whatever.
Posted by Audrey at 4:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Now that I've returned to Hyphenland (also known as my apartment [Melissa, Hyphen 's editor, is my roommate) from NYC, I am slowly playing catch-up on emails (both personal and Hyphen-related), voicemail messages, school work (finals!), unpacking, and just life in general.
Lots of love to my friend Anhoni, who forwarded me a link to this site last week. I'm sorry too, but I'd rather get an apology from everyone who voted for Dubya.
But whatever.
Posted by Audrey at 4:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Now that I've returned to Hyphenland (also known as my apartment [Melissa, Hyphen 's editor, is my roommate) from NYC, I am slowly playing catch-up on emails (both personal and Hyphen-related), voicemail messages, school work (finals!), unpacking, and just life in general.
Lots of love to my friend Anhoni, who forwarded me a link to this site last week. I'm sorry too, but I'd rather get an apology from everyone who voted for Dubya.
But whatever.
Posted by Audrey at 4:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
While in New York City last week, I hung out with my two best friends who I hadn't seen in months. Sunday night the three of us went to Queens for Filipino food and (after) drank Red Stripes and Irish Car Bombs at a local bar in Brooklyn.
For dinner my friends and I ordered so much food, the restaurant staff (and other patrons) seemed amused that our table was becoming so crowded with entrees; we had to move to a bigger table to accomodate all the food. It was like we hadn't eaten in years, when in fact it was just that Y and I hadn't eaten (homecooked) Filipino food in months. After dinner S requested that we walk up the street a few blocks, to the predominantly South Asian shopping strip off Roosevelt. I made the joke that for dinner Y and I got to be among "our people," and our post-dinner trek (to burn off all the calories) was to see "S's people." We called it a "Third World Connection" -- "brown Asians living side by side in harmony."
I was excited to walk by so many Filipino-owned businesses, especially a Filipino restaurant that claimed to be "Nueva Ecijan," (that is the province where my mother's side of the family is). All geeked out over this, I took a picture of the front of the restaurant. This one strip of shops and restaurants in Jackson Heights was beautifully lit up (white lights strewn across the trees) for diwali (Festival of Lights); young and old were out and about while bhangra beats boomed out of the cars passing by.
While in NYC a lot of the discussions I had with friends (new and old) ended up focusing on (at some point or another) the recent elections, current events in general, and various other (serious, deep) things.
Y mentioned to me that someone had committed suicide at Ground Zero: Distraught over Bush continuing a second term, a man shot himself at the site of the World Trade Center. I don't know about y'all, but (frankly speaking) Bush (to me) isn't worth killing myself over. We made it through the first four years -- we'll make it through the next four. Thank Buddha he can only be in office for two terms, right? (Don't make jokes about Martial Law to a Filipino, okay?)
On Sunday night I got to meet some of Y's new friends, these two Filipino guys A and D. When D first arrived, S and I thought he was cute (it also helped that he bought us drinks), but then he started talking and our consensus was, "Shhh! Don't speak! You're so much cuter if you don't open your mouth!" (No, we didn't say this out loud to his face.) He started talking about how he loves former mayor Giuliani; how Giuliani cleaned up NYC, etc., etc. As a Californian who grew up with this romanticized vision of NYC, I don't know anything about NYC politics. What I do know, however, is that I don't think "cleaning up" NYC by throwing homeless people in jail was (is) the best solution.
At the end of the night, A drove S and I back to Manhattan, to Harlem, near Columbia University. (Knowing people in NYC with a car, and getting to ride in their car, is a treat. Access to a personal vehicle is rare in NYC, unlike in the Bay Area.) During the ride back, after getting off the Williamsburg Bridge and passing through Alphabet City on the way uptown, A, S and I started discussing gentrification (comparing NYC and San Francisco). I mentioned how before the Dot Com bubble burst, many people ("yuppies") started infiltrating the South of Market (SoMa) and Mission neighborhoods in San Francisco. A essentially said (though not in these words), "I love gentrification!" S and I held our tongues.
I moved to San Francisco for my freshman year of college, right around the beginning of the Dot Com Era. I remember walking to the bus stop from my internship at NAATA and a homeless man asking for change with a sign that read: SpareChange.com. (I had to give him a dollar for creativity and humor!) I know of newly immigrated Filipino families and Filipino seniors that were displaced from their cramped apartments downtown, because some new dot com or hotel developer wanted that space. I'm all for development, but when I hear of people being pushed out of their homes I-Hotel style...I cannot, in good conscience, say that I support gentrification.
It was interesting to me that these two East Coast Filipinos could say that gentrification is good. I don't fault them for having their opinions. But it bothered me that these two guys were "hating" on West Coast Filipinos in general -- reducing us to this rice rocket-driving, Fubu-wearing, wannabe bedroom DJ, E-40 listening, "Wesssyde!" stereotype. In passing I made a comment (trying to be funny, but also make a point): "Filipinos are like the Puerto Ricans of the West Coast." I meant this in regards to how Filipinos in the Bay Area influence hip-hop trends, but then I realized that it also meant something else in a broader context: Replace Puerto Rican and Filipino with whatever marginalized minority (that has achieved middle class status) you like.
Oh, and... I'm sure you've heard about this? My dad is a retired Navy man, too old to be reactivated for duty. However, I have older cousins who have recently retired from the Army and Navy, or are about to retire from service, and this involuntary reactivation worries me. Let's see how this pans out.
Posted by Audrey at 2:49 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
While in New York City last week, I hung out with my two best friends who I hadn't seen in months. Sunday night the three of us went to Queens for Filipino food and (after) drank Red Stripes and Irish Car Bombs at a local bar in Brooklyn.
For dinner my friends and I ordered so much food, the restaurant staff (and other patrons) seemed amused that our table was becoming so crowded with entrees; we had to move to a bigger table to accomodate all the food. It was like we hadn't eaten in years, when in fact it was just that Y and I hadn't eaten (homecooked) Filipino food in months. After dinner S requested that we walk up the street a few blocks, to the predominantly South Asian shopping strip off Roosevelt. I made the joke that for dinner Y and I got to be among "our people," and our post-dinner trek (to burn off all the calories) was to see "S's people." We called it a "Third World Connection" -- "brown Asians living side by side in harmony."
I was excited to walk by so many Filipino-owned businesses, especially a Filipino restaurant that claimed to be "Nueva Ecijan," (that is the province where my mother's side of the family is). All geeked out over this, I took a picture of the front of the restaurant. This one strip of shops and restaurants in Jackson Heights was beautifully lit up (white lights strewn across the trees) for diwali (Festival of Lights); young and old were out and about while bhangra beats boomed out of the cars passing by.
While in NYC a lot of the discussions I had with friends (new and old) ended up focusing on (at some point or another) the recent elections, current events in general, and various other (serious, deep) things.
Y mentioned to me that someone had committed suicide at Ground Zero: Distraught over Bush continuing a second term, a man shot himself at the site of the World Trade Center. I don't know about y'all, but (frankly speaking) Bush (to me) isn't worth killing myself over. We made it through the first four years -- we'll make it through the next four. Thank Buddha he can only be in office for two terms, right? (Don't make jokes about Martial Law to a Filipino, okay?)
On Sunday night I got to meet some of Y's new friends, these two Filipino guys A and D. When D first arrived, S and I thought he was cute (it also helped that he bought us drinks), but then he started talking and our consensus was, "Shhh! Don't speak! You're so much cuter if you don't open your mouth!" (No, we didn't say this out loud to his face.) He started talking about how he loves former mayor Giuliani; how Giuliani cleaned up NYC, etc., etc. As a Californian who grew up with this romanticized vision of NYC, I don't know anything about NYC politics. What I do know, however, is that I don't think "cleaning up" NYC by throwing homeless people in jail was (is) the best solution.
At the end of the night, A drove S and I back to Manhattan, to Harlem, near Columbia University. (Knowing people in NYC with a car, and getting to ride in their car, is a treat. Access to a personal vehicle is rare in NYC, unlike in the Bay Area.) During the ride back, after getting off the Williamsburg Bridge and passing through Alphabet City on the way uptown, A, S and I started discussing gentrification (comparing NYC and San Francisco). I mentioned how before the Dot Com bubble burst, many people ("yuppies") started infiltrating the South of Market (SoMa) and Mission neighborhoods in San Francisco. A essentially said (though not in these words), "I love gentrification!" S and I held our tongues.
I moved to San Francisco for my freshman year of college, right around the beginning of the Dot Com Era. I remember walking to the bus stop from my internship at NAATA and a homeless man asking for change with a sign that read: SpareChange.com. (I had to give him a dollar for creativity and humor!) I know of newly immigrated Filipino families and Filipino seniors that were displaced from their cramped apartments downtown, because some new dot com or hotel developer wanted that space. I'm all for development, but when I hear of people being pushed out of their homes I-Hotel style...I cannot, in good conscience, say that I support gentrification.
It was interesting to me that these two East Coast Filipinos could say that gentrification is good. I don't fault them for having their opinions. But it bothered me that these two guys were "hating" on West Coast Filipinos in general -- reducing us to this rice rocket-driving, Fubu-wearing, wannabe bedroom DJ, E-40 listening, "Wesssyde!" stereotype. In passing I made a comment (trying to be funny, but also make a point): "Filipinos are like the Puerto Ricans of the West Coast." I meant this in regards to how Filipinos in the Bay Area influence hip-hop trends, but then I realized that it also meant something else in a broader context: Replace Puerto Rican and Filipino with whatever marginalized minority (that has achieved middle class status) you like.
Oh, and... I'm sure you've heard about this? My dad is a retired Navy man, too old to be reactivated for duty. However, I have older cousins who have recently retired from the Army and Navy, or are about to retire from service, and this involuntary reactivation worries me. Let's see how this pans out.
Posted by Audrey at 2:49 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
While in New York City last week, I hung out with my two best friends who I hadn't seen in months. Sunday night the three of us went to Queens for Filipino food and (after) drank Red Stripes and Irish Car Bombs at a local bar in Brooklyn.
For dinner my friends and I ordered so much food, the restaurant staff (and other patrons) seemed amused that our table was becoming so crowded with entrees; we had to move to a bigger table to accomodate all the food. It was like we hadn't eaten in years, when in fact it was just that Y and I hadn't eaten (homecooked) Filipino food in months. After dinner S requested that we walk up the street a few blocks, to the predominantly South Asian shopping strip off Roosevelt. I made the joke that for dinner Y and I got to be among "our people," and our post-dinner trek (to burn off all the calories) was to see "S's people." We called it a "Third World Connection" -- "brown Asians living side by side in harmony."
I was excited to walk by so many Filipino-owned businesses, especially a Filipino restaurant that claimed to be "Nueva Ecijan," (that is the province where my mother's side of the family is). All geeked out over this, I took a picture of the front of the restaurant. This one strip of shops and restaurants in Jackson Heights was beautifully lit up (white lights strewn across the trees) for diwali (Festival of Lights); young and old were out and about while bhangra beats boomed out of the cars passing by.
While in NYC a lot of the discussions I had with friends (new and old) ended up focusing on (at some point or another) the recent elections, current events in general, and various other (serious, deep) things.
Y mentioned to me that someone had committed suicide at Ground Zero: Distraught over Bush continuing a second term, a man shot himself at the site of the World Trade Center. I don't know about y'all, but (frankly speaking) Bush (to me) isn't worth killing myself over. We made it through the first four years -- we'll make it through the next four. Thank Buddha he can only be in office for two terms, right? (Don't make jokes about Martial Law to a Filipino, okay?)
On Sunday night I got to meet some of Y's new friends, these two Filipino guys A and D. When D first arrived, S and I thought he was cute (it also helped that he bought us drinks), but then he started talking and our consensus was, "Shhh! Don't speak! You're so much cuter if you don't open your mouth!" (No, we didn't say this out loud to his face.) He started talking about how he loves former mayor Giuliani; how Giuliani cleaned up NYC, etc., etc. As a Californian who grew up with this romanticized vision of NYC, I don't know anything about NYC politics. What I do know, however, is that I don't think "cleaning up" NYC by throwing homeless people in jail was (is) the best solution.
At the end of the night, A drove S and I back to Manhattan, to Harlem, near Columbia University. (Knowing people in NYC with a car, and getting to ride in their car, is a treat. Access to a personal vehicle is rare in NYC, unlike in the Bay Area.) During the ride back, after getting off the Williamsburg Bridge and passing through Alphabet City on the way uptown, A, S and I started discussing gentrification (comparing NYC and San Francisco). I mentioned how before the Dot Com bubble burst, many people ("yuppies") started infiltrating the South of Market (SoMa) and Mission neighborhoods in San Francisco. A essentially said (though not in these words), "I love gentrification!" S and I held our tongues.
I moved to San Francisco for my freshman year of college, right around the beginning of the Dot Com Era. I remember walking to the bus stop from my internship at NAATA and a homeless man asking for change with a sign that read: SpareChange.com. (I had to give him a dollar for creativity and humor!) I know of newly immigrated Filipino families and Filipino seniors that were displaced from their cramped apartments downtown, because some new dot com or hotel developer wanted that space. I'm all for development, but when I hear of people being pushed out of their homes I-Hotel style...I cannot, in good conscience, say that I support gentrification.
It was interesting to me that these two East Coast Filipinos could say that gentrification is good. I don't fault them for having their opinions. But it bothered me that these two guys were "hating" on West Coast Filipinos in general -- reducing us to this rice rocket-driving, Fubu-wearing, wannabe bedroom DJ, E-40 listening, "Wesssyde!" stereotype. In passing I made a comment (trying to be funny, but also make a point): "Filipinos are like the Puerto Ricans of the West Coast." I meant this in regards to how Filipinos in the Bay Area influence hip-hop trends, but then I realized that it also meant something else in a broader context: Replace Puerto Rican and Filipino with whatever marginalized minority (that has achieved middle class status) you like.
Oh, and... I'm sure you've heard about this? My dad is a retired Navy man, too old to be reactivated for duty. However, I have older cousins who have recently retired from the Army and Navy, or are about to retire from service, and this involuntary reactivation worries me. Let's see how this pans out.
Posted by Audrey at 2:49 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
If Harry's entry about Iris Chang's suicide wasn't disturbing enough, I just found a few more disturbing links while reading the news.
Namely, that pharmacists are now refusing to dispense birth control on "moral grounds". (I read a similar blurb here a few months back, as well.) Since when is the birth control pill considered an abortion? And since when can one's personal beliefs interfere with fulfilling prescriptions and providing basic medical care? Seriously, I am so disturbed. Tell me I'm not the only one.
Posted by Lisa at 5:48 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
If Harry's entry about Iris Chang's suicide wasn't disturbing enough, I just found a few more disturbing links while reading the news.
Namely, that pharmacists are now refusing to dispense birth control on "moral grounds". (I read a similar blurb here a few months back, as well.) Since when is the birth control pill considered an abortion? And since when can one's personal beliefs interfere with fulfilling prescriptions and providing basic medical care? Seriously, I am so disturbed. Tell me I'm not the only one.
Posted by Lisa at 5:48 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
If Harry's entry about Iris Chang's suicide wasn't disturbing enough, I just found a few more disturbing links while reading the news.
Namely, that pharmacists are now refusing to dispense birth control on "moral grounds". (I read a similar blurb here a few months back, as well.) Since when is the birth control pill considered an abortion? And since when can one's personal beliefs interfere with fulfilling prescriptions and providing basic medical care? Seriously, I am so disturbed. Tell me I'm not the only one.
Posted by Lisa at 5:48 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Rape of Nanking author Iris Chang was found dead Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot the head, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Enough said.
Posted by harry at 4:41 PM | Comments (25) | TrackBack
Rape of Nanking author Iris Chang was found dead Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot the head, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Enough said.
Posted by harry at 4:41 PM | Comments (25) | TrackBack
Rape of Nanking author Iris Chang was found dead Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot the head, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Enough said.
Posted by harry at 4:41 PM | Comments (25) | TrackBack
So it's been a week since the election, and (half) the nation is in mourning. My friends have described their crying fits, their anger, their wonder at how people can blithely continue on with their commuting and childcare and sitcoms when Frodo didn't make it --Bush got the ring and our hopes for a regime change have evaporated.
I've never heard ordinary citizens describe feelings of grief over an election before. When I heard that Kerry conceded, I felt that same sick feeling as when someone I love has died.
Of course, revolutions come only after such disappointments. Revolutions don't come just because of crushing oppression and maniacal tyranny, they come after hope is dangled out before the downtrodden masses and then is tauntingly jerked away.
What upsets me most about the election results (Besides the Bush "win") is that analysts and media want to say that this means there are "two Americas," that there is this great moral divide. I think there are a lot of things wrong with that analysis.
Sure, 20% of voters said that the most important thing to them re: the vote was "moral issues." Meaning that they were against gay marriage and abortion, and therefore voted for Bush. But that's only 20%.
(In an aside: Christians voting on moral issues make no sense. If you really adhere to Christianity, you should be worried about saving people's souls, not legislating the way in which they live in sin. If we're all going to hell, what does it matter whether we're gay or murderers or covetous of our neighbors wives and oxen?
How did Jesus save people's souls? By feeding them, healing them, and praying for them. He even stopped a prostitute from being stoned. What did he think about people who tried to legislate other people's sin? They were known as Pharisees. And he had nothing but wrath for most of them.)
Who were the other people voting for Bush? Rich white men. Voting for their pocketbooks. Halliburton exec-types who benefit directly from the Bush admin's policy.
Who else? People full of fear. People who were shaken to the core by 9-11, who are angry and afraid to "change canoes midstream" or whatever. That inexplicable mass of humans who always vote for the incumbent, because at least he is a known quantity.
Yes, our country is deeply divided. But that's because Bush is a divisive person, his administration deliberately misleading the public, creating issues to distract from our biggest problems (Osama and al-qaida) and proposing and implementing radical policies that disenfranchise most of the population.
If everyone really understood that there were no WMD, that Saddam wasn't chillin with Osama on some Baghdad golf course, that tax cuts have a direct impact on their schools, their kids, their neighborhoods and their futures, that Bush's environmental policies are probably leading to higher cancer rates even as we speak, I think we would see a much more united America.
Many of my friends are starting to get together to strategize now on how to get that message out. How to win back the White House and the rest of it. If the Republicans could pull themselves together in 40 years to implement radical changes, so can we.
Grief-stricken, exhausted, my reaction is to retreat. To go get dinner and show and change the channel when the talking monkey president comes on. But we can't do that; we have stay engaged and learn to fight harder, smarter and deliver the occasional low blow.
The fight has just begun.
Posted by jennifer at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
So it's been a week since the election, and (half) the nation is in mourning. My friends have described their crying fits, their anger, their wonder at how people can blithely continue on with their commuting and childcare and sitcoms when Frodo didn't make it --Bush got the ring and our hopes for a regime change have evaporated.
I've never heard ordinary citizens describe feelings of grief over an election before. When I heard that Kerry conceded, I felt that same sick feeling as when someone I love has died.
Of course, revolutions come only after such disappointments. Revolutions don't come just because of crushing oppression and maniacal tyranny, they come after hope is dangled out before the downtrodden masses and then is tauntingly jerked away.
What upsets me most about the election results (Besides the Bush "win") is that analysts and media want to say that this means there are "two Americas," that there is this great moral divide. I think there are a lot of things wrong with that analysis.
Sure, 20% of voters said that the most important thing to them re: the vote was "moral issues." Meaning that they were against gay marriage and abortion, and therefore voted for Bush. But that's only 20%.
(In an aside: Christians voting on moral issues make no sense. If you really adhere to Christianity, you should be worried about saving people's souls, not legislating the way in which they live in sin. If we're all going to hell, what does it matter whether we're gay or murderers or covetous of our neighbors wives and oxen?
How did Jesus save people's souls? By feeding them, healing them, and praying for them. He even stopped a prostitute from being stoned. What did he think about people who tried to legislate other people's sin? They were known as Pharisees. And he had nothing but wrath for most of them.)
Who were the other people voting for Bush? Rich white men. Voting for their pocketbooks. Halliburton exec-types who benefit directly from the Bush admin's policy.
Who else? People full of fear. People who were shaken to the core by 9-11, who are angry and afraid to "change canoes midstream" or whatever. That inexplicable mass of humans who always vote for the incumbent, because at least he is a known quantity.
Yes, our country is deeply divided. But that's because Bush is a divisive person, his administration deliberately misleading the public, creating issues to distract from our biggest problems (Osama and al-qaida) and proposing and implementing radical policies that disenfranchise most of the population.
If everyone really understood that there were no WMD, that Saddam wasn't chillin with Osama on some Baghdad golf course, that tax cuts have a direct impact on their schools, their kids, their neighborhoods and their futures, that Bush's environmental policies are probably leading to higher cancer rates even as we speak, I think we would see a much more united America.
Many of my friends are starting to get together to strategize now on how to get that message out. How to win back the White House and the rest of it. If the Republicans could pull themselves together in 40 years to implement radical changes, so can we.
Grief-stricken, exhausted, my reaction is to retreat. To go get dinner and show and change the channel when the talking monkey president comes on. But we can't do that; we have stay engaged and learn to fight harder, smarter and deliver the occasional low blow.
The fight has just begun.
Posted by jennifer at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
So it's been a week since the election, and (half) the nation is in mourning. My friends have described their crying fits, their anger, their wonder at how people can blithely continue on with their commuting and childcare and sitcoms when Frodo didn't make it --Bush got the ring and our hopes for a regime change have evaporated.
I've never heard ordinary citizens describe feelings of grief over an election before. When I heard that Kerry conceded, I felt that same sick feeling as when someone I love has died.
Of course, revolutions come only after such disappointments. Revolutions don't come just because of crushing oppression and maniacal tyranny, they come after hope is dangled out before the downtrodden masses and then is tauntingly jerked away.
What upsets me most about the election results (Besides the Bush "win") is that analysts and media want to say that this means there are "two Americas," that there is this great moral divide. I think there are a lot of things wrong with that analysis.
Sure, 20% of voters said that the most important thing to them re: the vote was "moral issues." Meaning that they were against gay marriage and abortion, and therefore voted for Bush. But that's only 20%.
(In an aside: Christians voting on moral issues make no sense. If you really adhere to Christianity, you should be worried about saving people's souls, not legislating the way in which they live in sin. If we're all going to hell, what does it matter whether we're gay or murderers or covetous of our neighbors wives and oxen?
How did Jesus save people's souls? By feeding them, healing them, and praying for them. He even stopped a prostitute from being stoned. What did he think about people who tried to legislate other people's sin? They were known as Pharisees. And he had nothing but wrath for most of them.)
Who were the other people voting for Bush? Rich white men. Voting for their pocketbooks. Halliburton exec-types who benefit directly from the Bush admin's policy.
Who else? People full of fear. People who were shaken to the core by 9-11, who are angry and afraid to "change canoes midstream" or whatever. That inexplicable mass of humans who always vote for the incumbent, because at least he is a known quantity.
Yes, our country is deeply divided. But that's because Bush is a divisive person, his administration deliberately misleading the public, creating issues to distract from our biggest problems (Osama and al-qaida) and proposing and implementing radical policies that disenfranchise most of the population.
If everyone really understood that there were no WMD, that Saddam wasn't chillin with Osama on some Baghdad golf course, that tax cuts have a direct impact on their schools, their kids, their neighborhoods and their futures, that Bush's environmental policies are probably leading to higher cancer rates even as we speak, I think we would see a much more united America.
Many of my friends are starting to get together to strategize now on how to get that message out. How to win back the White House and the rest of it. If the Republicans could pull themselves together in 40 years to implement radical changes, so can we.
Grief-stricken, exhausted, my reaction is to retreat. To go get dinner and show and change the channel when the talking monkey president comes on. But we can't do that; we have stay engaged and learn to fight harder, smarter and deliver the occasional low blow.
The fight has just begun.
Posted by jennifer at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I had the first Hyphen-free weekend in ages. But only because I had to travel for my day job. Now that I've exhausted myself running a conference for 500 people, it's back to Hyphenland, which means lots of meetings. This week is absurd. There's three.
But alas, it was not completely Hyphen-free because I called my sister from my hotel room with instructions on representing Hyphen at the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association,
which takes place Nov 12-13 in my hometown of Houston, The Republic of Texas. What can you do when the stereotype is true? There’s mad Asians in med school and my sister is one of them. So I am sending her off to shove Hyphen in their faces, ever so nicely. But I doubt med students have time to do things like read.
In fact, it seems to me that most people don’t read at all, which makes me a little sad. I realize, as a former English major and one-time bookworm, that most people are not like me. They do not feel bad if they skip that day’s newspaper. They do not read magazines from cover to cover. They are way cooler than I am.
Sometimes I wonder if we are wasting our time at these kinds of professional events. I know it’s impossible to get every APA to pick up our magazine because some people just don’t give a damn. But it seems that there’s a whole hell of a lot of them, these people who seem too caught up in themselves, in their careers and social status. You know who I’m talking about, you see them shopping at Banana Republic and driving their BMWs. All their friends are Asian American, but you know, they just happen to be Asian American, whatever that means, and they go to those parties thrown by Asian American party promoters to impress each other with their law degrees and six-figure investment banking salaries and their tiny teeny size zero Bebe pants.
It’s easy to forget about them here in the Bay Area because we also have a community of hearty activist and artistic types who have endured countless spoken word shows and open mics, who think nothing of joining a protest in progress down Market Street, who send flurries of emails with news stories to each other all day long, who wear vintage thrift-store sweaters and knee-high boots and are dorky yet cool in that way that people who are too self-aware carry themselves.
Yes, I am reducing all of you to stereotypes today, you med students and Bebe Girls and bleeding heart artists whose intentions are right, but whose art may actually be bad.
We talk about this from time to time, the types of people out there and whether or not those people read Hyphenand if we want them to. And if so, how we’re going to get to them. Will we get to them by sitting at a table, passing out copies of the latest issue? Really, will we?
Posted by Melissa at 3:55 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
I had the first Hyphen-free weekend in ages. But only because I had to travel for my day job. Now that I've exhausted myself running a conference for 500 people, it's back to Hyphenland, which means lots of meetings. This week is absurd. There's three.
But alas, it was not completely Hyphen-free because I called my sister from my hotel room with instructions on representing Hyphen at the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association,
which takes place Nov 12-13 in my hometown of Houston, The Republic of Texas. What can you do when the stereotype is true? There’s mad Asians in med school and my sister is one of them. So I am sending her off to shove Hyphen in their faces, ever so nicely. But I doubt med students have time to do things like read.
In fact, it seems to me that most people don’t read at all, which makes me a little sad. I realize, as a former English major and one-time bookworm, that most people are not like me. They do not feel bad if they skip that day’s newspaper. They do not read magazines from cover to cover. They are way cooler than I am.
Sometimes I wonder if we are wasting our time at these kinds of professional events. I know it’s impossible to get every APA to pick up our magazine because some people just don’t give a damn. But it seems that there’s a whole hell of a lot of them, these people who seem too caught up in themselves, in their careers and social status. You know who I’m talking about, you see them shopping at Banana Republic and driving their BMWs. All their friends are Asian American, but you know, they just happen to be Asian American, whatever that means, and they go to those parties thrown by Asian American party promoters to impress each other with their law degrees and six-figure investment banking salaries and their tiny teeny size zero Bebe pants.
It’s easy to forget about them here in the Bay Area because we also have a community of hearty activist and artistic types who have endured countless spoken word shows and open mics, who think nothing of joining a protest in progress down Market Street, who send flurries of emails with news stories to each other all day long, who wear vintage thrift-store sweaters and knee-high boots and are dorky yet cool in that way that people who are too self-aware carry themselves.
Yes, I am reducing all of you to stereotypes today, you med students and Bebe Girls and bleeding heart artists whose intentions are right, but whose art may actually be bad.
We talk about this from time to time, the types of people out there and whether or not those people read Hyphenand if we want them to. And if so, how we’re going to get to them. Will we get to them by sitting at a table, passing out copies of the latest issue? Really, will we?
Posted by Melissa at 3:55 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
I had the first Hyphen-free weekend in ages. But only because I had to travel for my day job. Now that I've exhausted myself running a conference for 500 people, it's back to Hyphenland, which means lots of meetings. This week is absurd. There's three.
But alas, it was not completely Hyphen-free because I called my sister from my hotel room with instructions on representing Hyphen at the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association,
which takes place Nov 12-13 in my hometown of Houston, The Republic of Texas. What can you do when the stereotype is true? There’s mad Asians in med school and my sister is one of them. So I am sending her off to shove Hyphen in their faces, ever so nicely. But I doubt med students have time to do things like read.
In fact, it seems to me that most people don’t read at all, which makes me a little sad. I realize, as a former English major and one-time bookworm, that most people are not like me. They do not feel bad if they skip that day’s newspaper. They do not read magazines from cover to cover. They are way cooler than I am.
Sometimes I wonder if we are wasting our time at these kinds of professional events. I know it’s impossible to get every APA to pick up our magazine because some people just don’t give a damn. But it seems that there’s a whole hell of a lot of them, these people who seem too caught up in themselves, in their careers and social status. You know who I’m talking about, you see them shopping at Banana Republic and driving their BMWs. All their friends are Asian American, but you know, they just happen to be Asian American, whatever that means, and they go to those parties thrown by Asian American party promoters to impress each other with their law degrees and six-figure investment banking salaries and their tiny teeny size zero Bebe pants.
It’s easy to forget about them here in the Bay Area because we also have a community of hearty activist and artistic types who have endured countless spoken word shows and open mics, who think nothing of joining a protest in progress down Market Street, who send flurries of emails with news stories to each other all day long, who wear vintage thrift-store sweaters and knee-high boots and are dorky yet cool in that way that people who are too self-aware carry themselves.
Yes, I am reducing all of you to stereotypes today, you med students and Bebe Girls and bleeding heart artists whose intentions are right, but whose art may actually be bad.
We talk about this from time to time, the types of people out there and whether or not those people read Hyphenand if we want them to. And if so, how we’re going to get to them. Will we get to them by sitting at a table, passing out copies of the latest issue? Really, will we?
Posted by Melissa at 3:55 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
The woods are dark and deep, full of scary predators, and we are just bare-kneed innocents, our little shaking hands occupied protecting the precious contents of our baskets. But, as Robert Frost never intended to remind us, the woods are lovely as well, seductive as a place of thrilling terror, and no fairy tale is complete without an all-expenses paid trip through the heart of them. The dark, fanged woods are an archetype, the place we go when our fears overwhelm us and we become blinded to their shape and extent, where we go to face a monstrous enemy whose tentacles seem to reach beyond the limits of our vision. In fairy tales, we enter the woods; in movies we hide under the covers, screwing our eyes shut; in parable, we stick our heads into the sand; and in reality, we demonize the administration of George W. Bush.
I got this little wake up call from José Márquez' blog, although he may not have intended it this way. Without comment, he linked to a 1964 essay by Richard Hofstadter from Harper's magazine called "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" in which Hofstadter compares 19th Century paranoid political movements--such as the anti-Mason, or anti-Jesuit movements--to mid-20th Century right wing paranoid movements such as McCarthyism and the John Birch Society. According to Hofstadter, the main difference is that 19th Century paranoiacs were defending moral and political territory that they still possessed; mid-20th Century paranoiacs were trying to bring back moral and political territory that they felt they had already lost.
Hello. I had to sit up at this. For in the intervening half century, the positions of the right wing and the left wing relative to the centers of power have reversed. After decades of Roosevelt and New Deal Democrats (in their view) setting the tone and national agenda, by mid-century the farther right wing felt entirely dismissed, ignored, and disempowered. This position has been gradually reversed since the election of Nixon in 1968. Since then, the left has felt increasingly that the tenor of national politics and the national agenda has come to be controlled--directly or indirectly--by the right. Although left-wing conspiracy theory talk as such is still not a popular mode of discourse, purple-faced agit prop, scurrilous and ad hominem attacks, and--most importantly--a transformation of the respected adversary into the demon enemy have characterized the left's style of political contention for at least the last four years.
This recent radical partisanship was something I had been blaming on the right, with its simplistic terror-tactics, sound bites, and cheerful consignment to the devil of everyone who wasn't with them. But I have to admit that the right has been doing this for as long as I've been sentient and literate. They can't force us to lose control of our reason. We did it to ourselves. We are doing it to ourselves. Just look at the style and content of this article from the New York Times. I have no doubt that the right has (more than one) powerful conclave that plans the downfall of its perceived enemies. But you could say the same about any Moveon.org stakeholder's meeting. And the most sobering thing to me about these collected Arab views of Bush is that they are so close to American left-wing views. Aljazeera.com actually has a page titled "Conspiracy Theories". Check it out, do any of these sound unreasonable to you?
Nowadays, the left routinely finds its ideological and cultural allies in Europe and the more liberal thinkers in the Third World. Does anyone else see a problem with this? Why is it easier for me to identify with strangers of a somewhat-to-radically different cultural background than with the people around me with whom I grew up? Is it all their fault? Is it because they pushed me away? Have I no responsibility to attempt to see their point of view, or to cast myself as Americans'--any American's--cultural and political neighbor? I recently got into an e-argument with a friend who sent out an email calling (somewhat blithely, I felt) for unity in the US behind Bush. I won't unite behind Bush, but is unity totally out of the question? Is the neocon agenda "evil" by my lights, or is it better described as "not in the best interests of the majority of the American people"? Is Bush "the devil", or is he "a flawed politician with a radical disconnect from the true interests of his constituency"? Which is it? It's not just semantics, folks.
The obscuring woods of victimization are, in many ways, a much more attractive and comfortable place for us to be than the cold, hard plain of fellowship and respectful contention with our ideological opponents. But, as is the point of our magazine, we are all Americans and we all have a lot of work to do. Let's get back to work.
Posted by claire at 5:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The woods are dark and deep, full of scary predators, and we are just bare-kneed innocents, our little shaking hands occupied protecting the precious contents of our baskets. But, as Robert Frost never intended to remind us, the woods are lovely as well, seductive as a place of thrilling terror, and no fairy tale is complete without an all-expenses paid trip through the heart of them. The dark, fanged woods are an archetype, the place we go when our fears overwhelm us and we become blinded to their shape and extent, where we go to face a monstrous enemy whose tentacles seem to reach beyond the limits of our vision. In fairy tales, we enter the woods; in movies we hide under the covers, screwing our eyes shut; in parable, we stick our heads into the sand; and in reality, we demonize the administration of George W. Bush.
I got this little wake up call from José Márquez' blog, although he may not have intended it this way. Without comment, he linked to a 1964 essay by Richard Hofstadter from Harper's magazine called "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" in which Hofstadter compares 19th Century paranoid political movements--such as the anti-Mason, or anti-Jesuit movements--to mid-20th Century right wing paranoid movements such as McCarthyism and the John Birch Society. According to Hofstadter, the main difference is that 19th Century paranoiacs were defending moral and political territory that they still possessed; mid-20th Century paranoiacs were trying to bring back moral and political territory that they felt they had already lost.
Hello. I had to sit up at this. For in the intervening half century, the positions of the right wing and the left wing relative to the centers of power have reversed. After decades of Roosevelt and New Deal Democrats (in their view) setting the tone and national agenda, by mid-century the farther right wing felt entirely dismissed, ignored, and disempowered. This position has been gradually reversed since the election of Nixon in 1968. Since then, the left has felt increasingly that the tenor of national politics and the national agenda has come to be controlled--directly or indirectly--by the right. Although left-wing conspiracy theory talk as such is still not a popular mode of discourse, purple-faced agit prop, scurrilous and ad hominem attacks, and--most importantly--a transformation of the respected adversary into the demon enemy have characterized the left's style of political contention for at least the last four years.
This recent radical partisanship was something I had been blaming on the right, with its simplistic terror-tactics, sound bites, and cheerful consignment to the devil of everyone who wasn't with them. But I have to admit that the right has been doing this for as long as I've been sentient and literate. They can't force us to lose control of our reason. We did it to ourselves. We are doing it to ourselves. Just look at the style and content of this article from the New York Times. I have no doubt that the right has (more than one) powerful conclave that plans the downfall of its perceived enemies. But you could say the same about any Moveon.org stakeholder's meeting. And the most sobering thing to me about these collected Arab views of Bush is that they are so close to American left-wing views. Aljazeera.com actually has a page titled "Conspiracy Theories". Check it out, do any of these sound unreasonable to you?
Nowadays, the left routinely finds its ideological and cultural allies in Europe and the more liberal thinkers in the Third World. Does anyone else see a problem with this? Why is it easier for me to identify with strangers of a somewhat-to-radically different cultural background than with the people around me with whom I grew up? Is it all their fault? Is it because they pushed me away? Have I no responsibility to attempt to see their point of view, or to cast myself as Americans'--any American's--cultural and political neighbor? I recently got into an e-argument with a friend who sent out an email calling (somewhat blithely, I felt) for unity in the US behind Bush. I won't unite behind Bush, but is unity totally out of the question? Is the neocon agenda "evil" by my lights, or is it better described as "not in the best interests of the majority of the American people"? Is Bush "the devil", or is he "a flawed politician with a radical disconnect from the true interests of his constituency"? Which is it? It's not just semantics, folks.
The obscuring woods of victimization are, in many ways, a much more attractive and comfortable place for us to be than the cold, hard plain of fellowship and respectful contention with our ideological opponents. But, as is the point of our magazine, we are all Americans and we all have a lot of work to do. Let's get back to work.
Posted by claire at 5:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The woods are dark and deep, full of scary predators, and we are just bare-kneed innocents, our little shaking hands occupied protecting the precious contents of our baskets. But, as Robert Frost never intended to remind us, the woods are lovely as well, seductive as a place of thrilling terror, and no fairy tale is complete without an all-expenses paid trip through the heart of them. The dark, fanged woods are an archetype, the place we go when our fears overwhelm us and we become blinded to their shape and extent, where we go to face a monstrous enemy whose tentacles seem to reach beyond the limits of our vision. In fairy tales, we enter the woods; in movies we hide under the covers, screwing our eyes shut; in parable, we stick our heads into the sand; and in reality, we demonize the administration of George W. Bush.
I got this little wake up call from José Márquez' blog, although he may not have intended it this way. Without comment, he linked to a 1964 essay by Richard Hofstadter from Harper's magazine called "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" in which Hofstadter compares 19th Century paranoid political movements--such as the anti-Mason, or anti-Jesuit movements--to mid-20th Century right wing paranoid movements such as McCarthyism and the John Birch Society. According to Hofstadter, the main difference is that 19th Century paranoiacs were defending moral and political territory that they still possessed; mid-20th Century paranoiacs were trying to bring back moral and political territory that they felt they had already lost.
Hello. I had to sit up at this. For in the intervening half century, the positions of the right wing and the left wing relative to the centers of power have reversed. After decades of Roosevelt and New Deal Democrats (in their view) setting the tone and national agenda, by mid-century the farther right wing felt entirely dismissed, ignored, and disempowered. This position has been gradually reversed since the election of Nixon in 1968. Since then, the left has felt increasingly that the tenor of national politics and the national agenda has come to be controlled--directly or indirectly--by the right. Although left-wing conspiracy theory talk as such is still not a popular mode of discourse, purple-faced agit prop, scurrilous and ad hominem attacks, and--most importantly--a transformation of the respected adversary into the demon enemy have characterized the left's style of political contention for at least the last four years.
This recent radical partisanship was something I had been blaming on the right, with its simplistic terror-tactics, sound bites, and cheerful consignment to the devil of everyone who wasn't with them. But I have to admit that the right has been doing this for as long as I've been sentient and literate. They can't force us to lose control of our reason. We did it to ourselves. We are doing it to ourselves. Just look at the style and content of this article from the New York Times. I have no doubt that the right has (more than one) powerful conclave that plans the downfall of its perceived enemies. But you could say the same about any Moveon.org stakeholder's meeting. And the most sobering thing to me about these collected Arab views of Bush is that they are so close to American left-wing views. Aljazeera.com actually has a page titled "Conspiracy Theories". Check it out, do any of these sound unreasonable to you?
Nowadays, the left routinely finds its ideological and cultural allies in Europe and the more liberal thinkers in the Third World. Does anyone else see a problem with this? Why is it easier for me to identify with strangers of a somewhat-to-radically different cultural background than with the people around me with whom I grew up? Is it all their fault? Is it because they pushed me away? Have I no responsibility to attempt to see their point of view, or to cast myself as Americans'--any American's--cultural and political neighbor? I recently got into an e-argument with a friend who sent out an email calling (somewhat blithely, I felt) for unity in the US behind Bush. I won't unite behind Bush, but is unity totally out of the question? Is the neocon agenda "evil" by my lights, or is it better described as "not in the best interests of the majority of the American people"? Is Bush "the devil", or is he "a flawed politician with a radical disconnect from the true interests of his constituency"? Which is it? It's not just semantics, folks.
The obscuring woods of victimization are, in many ways, a much more attractive and comfortable place for us to be than the cold, hard plain of fellowship and respectful contention with our ideological opponents. But, as is the point of our magazine, we are all Americans and we all have a lot of work to do. Let's get back to work.
Posted by claire at 5:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Last night I moderated a panel on San Jose Japantown for South Bay First Thursdays, a networking organization that brings together Asian American professionals and townsfolk to discuss different topics on the, you guessed it, the first Thursday of the month. About 27 people came out to hear a conversation about the future of Japantown. We touched on topics of identity, demographic shifts, history, gentrification, arts and culture and nightlife. During the intro, I used the word "sleepy" to describe J-town and the reference was brought up again and again. San Jose's Japantown isn't like Little Tokyo in LA or SF's Japantown. It's a homey place (not sleepy!) with a feeling of community unlike the others. No chain stores except one Blockbuster; J-Town is a Starbucks-free zone and proud of it.
One of the panelists, Roy Hirabayashi, the managing director of San Jose Taiko, has been in J-Town for over 30 years. He made a good point that if redevelopment came in and overhauled the place, basically turning it into an exoticized version of Japantown, it would be a disaster. I can’t picture tour buses parked on Jackson, with out of towners hovering over the locals getting soy blocks from San Jose Tofu. The other J-Towns attract Japanese nationals, another panelist said, SJ's is just a neighborhood with a deep-rooted community, which makes it distinct. Panelist Jeff Ota, from the senior center Fuji Towers, said his father liked Japantown because he could stand on the corner of Fifth and Jackson and see the whole neighborhood.
Some concessions are inevitable as the core population grows older and the younger generation takes off to college rather than taking over the family business. I asked rhetorically if P.F. Chang’s opened a restaurant on an undeveloped corner, would it be a good idea? Ota said no. It’d take away from the character of the neighborhood and damage longtime businesses that stuck it out. He’d just as soon lie down in front of the tractor to prevent it from happening. The panel agreed.
But the other J-Towns have things ours don't—like an arts and community center. This seems to be a key ingredient missing from the mix. Panelists talked about this fictional building like little kids talk about their dream car—what it would look like, how it could hold lectures and classes, host performances by local and international acts. It could be the artistic and cultural hub of the neighborhood. Pre and post-war, J-town had dance, sumo and movies. Today, it’s heavy with dining and retail but shuts down after 10pm (save the karaoke bar and Hawaiian restaurant). The local Asian American performing arts group CATS has to put on shows away from J-Town at old venues with little parking. Imagine being able to park, eat and walk to a performance, knowing that your car is safe. It seems like a simple request yet given San Jose city politics, a lofty goal.
Of course it all comes down to money. Where are all the dot commers who grew up playing ball in CYS then made a mint in technology? Where are the Japanese American entrepreneurs with extra cash to flow? It’s like Japantown is your parent’s house, said SJ Arts Commission member Ben Miyaji. You can go away yet come home every couple months to eat, do laundry and nobody asks anything from you. It could be time to start charging for soap and water, washing and folding…
Posted by at 10:25 AM | Comments (3)
Last night I moderated a panel on San Jose Japantown for South Bay First Thursdays, a networking organization that brings together Asian American professionals and townsfolk to discuss different topics on the, you guessed it, the first Thursday of the month. About 27 people came out to hear a conversation about the future of Japantown. We touched on topics of identity, demographic shifts, history, gentrification, arts and culture and nightlife. During the intro, I used the word "sleepy" to describe J-town and the reference was brought up again and again. San Jose's Japantown isn't like Little Tokyo in LA or SF's Japantown. It's a homey place (not sleepy!) with a feeling of community unlike the others. No chain stores except one Blockbuster; J-Town is a Starbucks-free zone and proud of it.
One of the panelists, Roy Hirabayashi, the managing director of San Jose Taiko, has been in J-Town for over 30 years. He made a good point that if redevelopment came in and overhauled the place, basically turning it into an exoticized version of Japantown, it would be a disaster. I can’t picture tour buses parked on Jackson, with out of towners hovering over the locals getting soy blocks from San Jose Tofu. The other J-Towns attract Japanese nationals, another panelist said, SJ's is just a neighborhood with a deep-rooted community, which makes it distinct. Panelist Jeff Ota, from the senior center Fuji Towers, said his father liked Japantown because he could stand on the corner of Fifth and Jackson and see the whole neighborhood.
Some concessions are inevitable as the core population grows older and the younger generation takes off to college rather than taking over the family business. I asked rhetorically if P.F. Chang’s opened a restaurant on an undeveloped corner, would it be a good idea? Ota said no. It’d take away from the character of the neighborhood and damage longtime businesses that stuck it out. He’d just as soon lie down in front of the tractor to prevent it from happening. The panel agreed.
But the other J-Towns have things ours don't—like an arts and community center. This seems to be a key ingredient missing from the mix. Panelists talked about this fictional building like little kids talk about their dream car—what it would look like, how it could hold lectures and classes, host performances by local and international acts. It could be the artistic and cultural hub of the neighborhood. Pre and post-war, J-town had dance, sumo and movies. Today, it’s heavy with dining and retail but shuts down after 10pm (save the karaoke bar and Hawaiian restaurant). The local Asian American performing arts group CATS has to put on shows away from J-Town at old venues with little parking. Imagine being able to park, eat and walk to a performance, knowing that your car is safe. It seems like a simple request yet given San Jose city politics, a lofty goal.
Of course it all comes down to money. Where are all the dot commers who grew up playing ball in CYS then made a mint in technology? Where are the Japanese American entrepreneurs with extra cash to flow? It’s like Japantown is your parent’s house, said SJ Arts Commission member Ben Miyaji. You can go away yet come home every couple months to eat, do laundry and nobody asks anything from you. It could be time to start charging for soap and water, washing and folding…
Posted by at 10:25 AM | Comments (3)
Last night I moderated a panel on San Jose Japantown for South Bay First Thursdays, a networking organization that brings together Asian American professionals and townsfolk to discuss different topics on the, you guessed it, the first Thursday of the month. About 27 people came out to hear a conversation about the future of Japantown. We touched on topics of identity, demographic shifts, history, gentrification, arts and culture and nightlife. During the intro, I used the word "sleepy" to describe J-town and the reference was brought up again and again. San Jose's Japantown isn't like Little Tokyo in LA or SF's Japantown. It's a homey place (not sleepy!) with a feeling of community unlike the others. No chain stores except one Blockbuster; J-Town is a Starbucks-free zone and proud of it.
One of the panelists, Roy Hirabayashi, the managing director of San Jose Taiko, has been in J-Town for over 30 years. He made a good point that if redevelopment came in and overhauled the place, basically turning it into an exoticized version of Japantown, it would be a disaster. I can’t picture tour buses parked on Jackson, with out of towners hovering over the locals getting soy blocks from San Jose Tofu. The other J-Towns attract Japanese nationals, another panelist said, SJ's is just a neighborhood with a deep-rooted community, which makes it distinct. Panelist Jeff Ota, from the senior center Fuji Towers, said his father liked Japantown because he could stand on the corner of Fifth and Jackson and see the whole neighborhood.
Some concessions are inevitable as the core population grows older and the younger generation takes off to college rather than taking over the family business. I asked rhetorically if P.F. Chang’s opened a restaurant on an undeveloped corner, would it be a good idea? Ota said no. It’d take away from the character of the neighborhood and damage longtime businesses that stuck it out. He’d just as soon lie down in front of the tractor to prevent it from happening. The panel agreed.
But the other J-Towns have things ours don't—like an arts and community center. This seems to be a key ingredient missing from the mix. Panelists talked about this fictional building like little kids talk about their dream car—what it would look like, how it could hold lectures and classes, host performances by local and international acts. It could be the artistic and cultural hub of the neighborhood. Pre and post-war, J-town had dance, sumo and movies. Today, it’s heavy with dining and retail but shuts down after 10pm (save the karaoke bar and Hawaiian restaurant). The local Asian American performing arts group CATS has to put on shows away from J-Town at old venues with little parking. Imagine being able to park, eat and walk to a performance, knowing that your car is safe. It seems like a simple request yet given San Jose city politics, a lofty goal.
Of course it all comes down to money. Where are all the dot commers who grew up playing ball in CYS then made a mint in technology? Where are the Japanese American entrepreneurs with extra cash to flow? It’s like Japantown is your parent’s house, said SJ Arts Commission member Ben Miyaji. You can go away yet come home every couple months to eat, do laundry and nobody asks anything from you. It could be time to start charging for soap and water, washing and folding…
Posted by todd at 10:25 AM | Comments (3)
As a Filipina who gets mistaken for every other (usually non-Asian) ethnicity but what I really am (you'd be amazed at the totally-off things people have come up with), I don't buy into the stereotype that all Asians look alike. As MC Serch of 3rd Bass (the Gas Face!) said back in the day, "Must've been a white guy who started all that."
A Canadian reporter contacted Melissa and I earlier this week requesting interviews regarding this website. I'd never heard of All Look Same before. Unfortunately I was too busy to answer questions; Melissa was able to oblige. I'm curious (and anxious) to read the article.
On another note, I will be in New York City from tomorrow (later this evening, rather) to Tuesday. My last trip to NYC was when Hyphen had a launch party in Tribeca, at 99 Hudson (last July). I've been itching to visit NYC ever since.
I like to joke that Hyphen is like my boyfriend, because of all the time and passion I invest into helping produce the magazine. Although NYC is (so far) the only major city Hyphen is carried in on the East Coast, our presence there doesn't (yet) seem to have the same impact as in the Bay Area. I'm anxious to meet more people and get the word out about "the man" in my life.
New York City, I want you to meet my new boyfriend!
Posted by Audrey at 12:47 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
As a Filipina who gets mistaken for every other (usually non-Asian) ethnicity but what I really am (you'd be amazed at the totally-off things people have come up with), I don't buy into the stereotype that all Asians look alike. As MC Serch of 3rd Bass (the Gas Face!) said back in the day, "Must've been a white guy who started all that."
A Canadian reporter contacted Melissa and I earlier this week requesting interviews regarding this website. I'd never heard of All Look Same before. Unfortunately I was too busy to answer questions; Melissa was able to oblige. I'm curious (and anxious) to read the article.
On another note, I will be in New York City from tomorrow (later this evening, rather) to Tuesday. My last trip to NYC was when Hyphen had a launch party in Tribeca, at 99 Hudson (last July). I've been itching to visit NYC ever since.
I like to joke that Hyphen is like my boyfriend, because of all the time and passion I invest into helping produce the magazine. Although NYC is (so far) the only major city Hyphen is carried in on the East Coast, our presence there doesn't (yet) seem to have the same impact as in the Bay Area. I'm anxious to meet more people and get the word out about "the man" in my life.
New York City, I want you to meet my new boyfriend!
Posted by Audrey at 12:47 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
As a Filipina who gets mistaken for every other (usually non-Asian) ethnicity but what I really am (you'd be amazed at the totally-off things people have come up with), I don't buy into the stereotype that all Asians look alike. As MC Serch of 3rd Bass (the Gas Face!) said back in the day, "Must've been a white guy who started all that."
A Canadian reporter contacted Melissa and I earlier this week requesting interviews regarding this website. I'd never heard of All Look Same before. Unfortunately I was too busy to answer questions; Melissa was able to oblige. I'm curious (and anxious) to read the article.
On another note, I will be in New York City from tomorrow (later this evening, rather) to Tuesday. My last trip to NYC was when Hyphen had a launch party in Tribeca, at 99 Hudson (last July). I've been itching to visit NYC ever since.
I like to joke that Hyphen is like my boyfriend, because of all the time and passion I invest into helping produce the magazine. Although NYC is (so far) the only major city Hyphen is carried in on the East Coast, our presence there doesn't (yet) seem to have the same impact as in the Bay Area. I'm anxious to meet more people and get the word out about "the man" in my life.
New York City, I want you to meet my new boyfriend!
Posted by Audrey at 12:47 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
So I was trying to remain somewhat optimistic enough to write a we'll keep fighting type of blog entry, but I'm just not feeling it today. From a Republican-controlled White House and Congress to the future of the Supreme Court, from California propositions like the three strikes law being upheld to 11 states passing anti-gay marriage amendments, all I can say is that these are some f***ing scary times we live in, both here and in the rest of the world. Maybe tomorrow I'll be more angry than anxious, but right now I'm feeling more sick to my stomach than anything else. Feel free to comment.
Posted by Lisa at 1:35 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
So I was trying to remain somewhat optimistic enough to write a we'll keep fighting type of blog entry, but I'm just not feeling it today. From a Republican-controlled White House and Congress to the future of the Supreme Court, from California propositions like the three strikes law being upheld to 11 states passing anti-gay marriage amendments, all I can say is that these are some f***ing scary times we live in, both here and in the rest of the world. Maybe tomorrow I'll be more angry than anxious, but right now I'm feeling more sick to my stomach than anything else. Feel free to comment.
Posted by Lisa at 1:35 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
So I was trying to remain somewhat optimistic enough to write a we'll keep fighting type of blog entry, but I'm just not feeling it today. From a Republican-controlled White House and Congress to the future of the Supreme Court, from California propositions like the three strikes law being upheld to 11 states passing anti-gay marriage amendments, all I can say is that these are some f***ing scary times we live in, both here and in the rest of the world. Maybe tomorrow I'll be more angry than anxious, but right now I'm feeling more sick to my stomach than anything else. Feel free to comment.
Posted by Lisa at 1:35 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
As I drove through San Francisco on my way to work this morning, I saw a line of voters that extended halfway down the block. Wow! I thought, people are really excited about this election. A few miles down, I passed another line of patient voters.
I got a little choked up. People are standing in line, reading their fat voter guides (SF residents have 30 propositions to vote on) and taking part in the wonderful horrible exercise of American democracy. (For a suprisingly stirring take, don't miss Eminem's video.)
This year, voting isn't a boring civic duty. It's a chance to take part in a great made-for-tv drama, with smut that can appeal to everyone. And that's what I think will get people to the polls.
I once dated a guy who, at age 26, had never voted.
We only had 2 dates.
Not voting is just not sexy. And this year, that is more true than ever. Voting has become part of one's cultural wardrobe, a necessity for social commerce. People who don't vote are like people who don't have TV --they could be good people, they have their reasons, but they're out of it. They don't know who Bart Simpson is or why Ashlee Simpson is the laughing stock of the nation.
But really, this election has something for everyone. First off, suspense could not be greater. The stakes are high --not just the title of leader of the free world, but a war, billions of dollars worth of oil, and many men's egos are on the line. The too-close-to call polls make the election returns a must-watch television event. And the near-certainty of lawsuits contesting the validity of vote --How will the Supreme Court rule with Rehnquist sick and all? --just make it all the more unpredictable.
Then there's the dirty tricks, insidious and clever machinations to manipulate the vote. We all know about Jeb Bush purging voter rolls, but how about that electronic voting booth that got stuck on the GOP page(reported on KPFA)? How about those Republican challengers sent to harrass people of color at the polls in Ohio? How about that unknown Milwaukeean, who slashed the tires of 30 Republican get-out-the-vote vans? This stuff has the makings of an Aaron Spelling hit.
For Nascar dad types, who watch the World Wresting Federation, check out the low blows and dirty tricks of the 527s, who by campaign finance law are only allowed to say negative things about the other guy. Swift Boat vets and Moveon.org, need I say more?
For people who enjoy the lighter side, who doesn't enjoy seeing Bush flipping off the camera? Or reading bumper sticker slogans at kerryhatersforkerry.com
and learning why they're different from johnkerryisadouchebagbutimvotingforhimanyway.com. And even I had to laugh when an ad for "W Ketchup" showed up on Hyphen's website via google ads.
I don't remember a time when an election has been more anticipated, when excitement and participation was so frenzied. Reality TV has nothing on the unscripted plot twists, high emotions and dirty dealings of the presidential election.
I can't wait to see what happens.
Go out and vote, already!
Posted by jennifer at 1:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
As I drove through San Francisco on my way to work this morning, I saw a line of voters that extended halfway down the block. Wow! I thought, people are really excited about this election. A few miles down, I passed another line of patient voters.
I got a little choked up. People are standing in line, reading their fat voter guides (SF residents have 30 propositions to vote on) and taking part in the wonderful horrible exercise of American democracy. (For a suprisingly stirring take, don't miss Eminem's video.)
This year, voting isn't a boring civic duty. It's a chance to take part in a great made-for-tv drama, with smut that can appeal to everyone. And that's what I think will get people to the polls.
I once dated a guy who, at age 26, had never voted.
We only had 2 dates.
Not voting is just not sexy. And this year, that is more true than ever. Voting has become part of one's cultural wardrobe, a necessity for social commerce. People who don't vote are like people who don't have TV --they could be good people, they have their reasons, but they're out of it. They don't know who Bart Simpson is or why Ashlee Simpson is the laughing stock of the nation.
But really, this election has something for everyone. First off, suspense could not be greater. The stakes are high --not just the title of leader of the free world, but a war, billions of dollars worth of oil, and many men's egos are on the line. The too-close-to call polls make the election returns a must-watch television event. And the near-certainty of lawsuits contesting the validity of vote --How will the Supreme Court rule with Rehnquist sick and all? --just make it all the more unpredictable.
Then there's the dirty tricks, insidious and clever machinations to manipulate the vote. We all know about Jeb Bush purging voter rolls, but how about that electronic voting booth that got stuck on the GOP page(reported on KPFA)? How about those Republican challengers sent to harrass people of color at the polls in Ohio? How about that unknown Milwaukeean, who slashed the tires of 30 Republican get-out-the-vote vans? This stuff has the makings of an Aaron Spelling hit.
For Nascar dad types, who watch the World Wresting Federation, check out the low blows and dirty tricks of the 527s, who by campaign finance law are only allowed to say negative things about the other guy. Swift Boat vets and Moveon.org, need I say more?
For people who enjoy the lighter side, who doesn't enjoy seeing Bush flipping off the camera? Or reading bumper sticker slogans at kerryhatersforkerry.com
and learning why they're different from johnkerryisadouchebagbutimvotingforhimanyway.com. And even I had to laugh when an ad for "W Ketchup" showed up on Hyphen's website via google ads.
I don't remember a time when an election has been more anticipated, when excitement and participation was so frenzied. Reality TV has nothing on the unscripted plot twists, high emotions and dirty dealings of the presidential election.
I can't wait to see what happens.
Go out and vote, already!
Posted by jennifer at 1:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
As I drove through San Francisco on my way to work this morning, I saw a line of voters that extended halfway down the block. Wow! I thought, people are really excited about this election. A few miles down, I passed another line of patient voters.
I got a little choked up. People are standing in line, reading their fat voter guides (SF residents have 30 propositions to vote on) and taking part in the wonderful horrible exercise of American democracy. (For a suprisingly stirring take, don't miss Eminem's video.)
This year, voting isn't a boring civic duty. It's a chance to take part in a great made-for-tv drama, with smut that can appeal to everyone. And that's what I think will get people to the polls.
I once dated a guy who, at age 26, had never voted.
We only had 2 dates.
Not voting is just not sexy. And this year, that is more true than ever. Voting has become part of one's cultural wardrobe, a necessity for social commerce. People who don't vote are like people who don't have TV --they could be good people, they have their reasons, but they're out of it. They don't know who Bart Simpson is or why Ashlee Simpson is the laughing stock of the nation.
But really, this election has something for everyone. First off, suspense could not be greater. The stakes are high --not just the title of leader of the free world, but a war, billions of dollars worth of oil, and many men's egos are on the line. The too-close-to call polls make the election returns a must-watch television event. And the near-certainty of lawsuits contesting the validity of vote --How will the Supreme Court rule with Rehnquist sick and all? --just make it all the more unpredictable.
Then there's the dirty tricks, insidious and clever machinations to manipulate the vote. We all know about Jeb Bush purging voter rolls, but how about that electronic voting booth that got stuck on the GOP page(reported on KPFA)? How about those Republican challengers sent to harrass people of color at the polls in Ohio? How about that unknown Milwaukeean, who slashed the tires of 30 Republican get-out-the-vote vans? This stuff has the makings of an Aaron Spelling hit.
For Nascar dad types, who watch the World Wresting Federation, check out the low blows and dirty tricks of the 527s, who by campaign finance law are only allowed to say negative things about the other guy. Swift Boat vets and Moveon.org, need I say more?
For people who enjoy the lighter side, who doesn't enjoy seeing Bush flipping off the camera? Or reading bumper sticker slogans at kerryhatersforkerry.com
and learning why they're different from johnkerryisadouchebagbutimvotingforhimanyway.com. And even I had to laugh when an ad for "W Ketchup" showed up on Hyphen's website via google ads.
I don't remember a time when an election has been more anticipated, when excitement and participation was so frenzied. Reality TV has nothing on the unscripted plot twists, high emotions and dirty dealings of the presidential election.
I can't wait to see what happens.
Go out and vote, already!
Posted by jennifer at 1:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
One of the four finalists in ESPN's Dream Job show is Anish Shroff. The show is a competition to win a contract to be a sportscaster on the network. Online voting will determine the winner. A competitor will be voted off the show on Tuesday.
The number of Asian American males working on-air in TV news is woefully low. So vote Tuesday for your favorite presidential candidate, and then go the show's website at 9 p.m. PST to put another Asian American male on the air!
Posted by harry at 12:54 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
One of the four finalists in ESPN's Dream Job show is Anish Shroff. The show is a competition to win a contract to be a sportscaster on the network. Online voting will determine the winner. A competitor will be voted off the show on Tuesday.
The number of Asian American males working on-air in TV news is woefully low. So vote Tuesday for your favorite presidential candidate, and then go the show's website at 9 p.m. PST to put another Asian American male on the air!
Posted by harry at 12:54 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
One of the four finalists in ESPN's Dream Job show is Anish Shroff. The show is a competition to win a contract to be a sportscaster on the network. Online voting will determine the winner. A competitor will be voted off the show on Tuesday.
The number of Asian American males working on-air in TV news is woefully low. So vote Tuesday for your favorite presidential candidate, and then go the show's website at 9 p.m. PST to put another Asian American male on the air!
Posted by harry at 12:54 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filmmaker & comic book writer Greg Pak has put together a new website encouraging Asian Americans in Hawaii to go to the polls for Kerry. The race is tied in Hawaii. Since Hawaii is the only state with an API majority, APIs have a real chance at swinging this state!
I don't know about you, but tomorrow I'll be sitting on the couch and biting my nails while I watch the returns. This stuff is nervewracking.
Posted by Melissa at 12:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Filmmaker & comic book writer Greg Pak has put together a new website encouraging Asian Americans in Hawaii to go to the polls for Kerry. The race is tied in Hawaii. Since Hawaii is the only state with an API majority, APIs have a real chance at swinging this state!
I don't know about you, but tomorrow I'll be sitting on the couch and biting my nails while I watch the returns. This stuff is nervewracking.
Posted by Melissa at 12:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Filmmaker & comic book writer Greg Pak has put together a new website encouraging Asian Americans in Hawaii to go to the polls for Kerry. The race is tied in Hawaii. Since Hawaii is the only state with an API majority, APIs have a real chance at swinging this state!
I don't know about you, but tomorrow I'll be sitting on the couch and biting my nails while I watch the returns. This stuff is nervewracking.
Posted by Melissa at 12:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
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