angry asian man

Student pleads guilty to hate crime attack on cab driver

2013-06-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Catching up on some news from last week... In New York City, a college student will face a 9 1/2 year prison sentence for viciously assaulting a Bangladeshi taxi driver in a hateful anti-Muslim attack: Michael Enright Pleads Guilty To Anti-Muslim Attack On NYC Cab Driver.

Cab driver Ahmed Sharif picked up Michael Enright on August 24, 2012. Enright asked Sharif whether he was Muslim, insulted his religion, then lunged into the front seat to slash his throat.

Enright pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault as hate crimes. The prosecution recommended an 18-year prison sentence, but the judge imposed the lesser prison sentence, plus five years of post-release supervision because Enright had no previous criminal record and because the victim wasn't badly hurt:

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Summer Music Academy for Real Teens (SMART), July 8-26

2013-06-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Young people of Boston! This one's for you. The Summer Music Academy for Real Teens (SMART), sponsored by Chung Changing Lives Inc. and the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, is a three-week summer music education for teens. SMART seeks youth ages 13-18 of all backgrounds from all over Boston to develop their passion to learn and create music. The program runs July 8-26 at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center.

The program is made possible by the generous support of NFL player Patrick Chung, who himself is the son of professional musicians -- music producer Ronald Chung and reggae singer Sophia George-Chung: Former Patriot Patrick Chung presents $25,000 to Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center.

Here are some more details about the program:

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Conan O'Brien talks to teen inventor Eesha Khare

2013-06-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Meet 18-year-old Eesha Khare, a Harvard-bound high school graduate from Saratoga, California who took the top prize last month at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her groundbreaking experiment, "Design and Synthesis of Hydrogenated TiO2-Polyaniline Nanorods for Flexible High-Performance Supercapacitors." In simpler terms, she invented a device that can charge a cell phone in 30 seconds.

Eesha recently appeared on Conan to talk about her invention:

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Attend the community meeting for "Danny Chen Way," June 25

2013-06-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Last week, I wrote about OCA-NY's efforts to drum up public support for the co-naming of a New York Chinatown street, "Danny Chen Way," in memory of the Chinese American soldier who was found dead after enduring weeks of hazing abuse while serving in Afghanistan.

On June 11, the Transportation Committee of Community Board 3 unanimously voted for the new name: 'Danny Chen Way' Street Renaming Wins Support from Community Board.

But there's more work to be done. The street co-naming still needs to be approved during Community Board 3's full board meeting next week. After that, it will go to the City Council for a vote.

If you can make it out, OCA-NY is asking supporters to attend the public meeting on Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30pm at PS 20, 166 Essex Street. For further information, email Ivy Pan at vypan94@gmail.com.

Witness: The Legacy of Heart Mountain

2013-06-17T16:10:00.001-07:00

Check out this great KABC Eyewitness News Special that aired over the weekend, Witness: The Legacy of Heart Mountain. Host David Ono traveled to the former site that incarcerated over 10,000 Japanese American during World War II, under the shadow of Heart Mountain outside Cody, Wyoming. But importantly, he talked to many Southern California families who endured the injustices of internment, and shared their stories. Here's the special, in four parts:

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The Awesome Asian Cast of Awesome Asian Bad Guys

2013-06-17T13:09:00.002-07:00

Behold, the awesome cast of National Film Society's upcoming webseries Awesome Asian Bad Guys. That's Yuji Okumoto, Patrick Epino, Stephen Dypiangco, Aaron Takahashi, Randall Park, Dante Basco, George Chung, Jasmin Currey, Tamlyn Tomita and the indestructible Al Leong.

Production on the action comedy webseries begins this week, and I just wanted to remind everybody that the team is putting the call out for extras. We need your help! If you're in Los Angeles, and free on Saturday, June 22 and Monday, June 24, you're invited to join in the fun as an extra in a big scene we're shooting downtown.

If you're interested in hanging out as an extra and watching the Awesome Asian Bad Guys in action, email awesomeasianbadguys@gmail.com. Hope you can join and be Awesome with us.

The Nerdiest / Most Gangster Yearbook Quote Ever

2013-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Jessica Lee wins. She wins everything. Drawing on her knowledge of the periodic table, the graduating high school senior's parting words of wisdom -- published under her photo in the Garfield High School yearbook -- appear to be a nerdy recitation of elements. But wait. Look a little closer, and you'll see a coded message inspired by the lyrical stylings of none other than the Notorious B.I.G.:

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Bruce Lee statue unveiled in Los Angeles Chinatown

2013-06-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend in Los Angeles, the one and only Bruce Lee was honored with the unveiling of a new statue of the martial arts legend in Chinatown -- the first and only statue of its kind in the United States: Historic Dedication Made In Honor Of Bruce Lee During LA Chinatown's 75th Anniversary.

The 7.6-foot-tall bronze statue currently sits in Chinatown's historic Central Plaza. It was unveiled as part of the annual nighttime celebration Chinatown Summer Nights and the 75th anniversary of Chinatown, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Chinatown Corp. and the Bruce Lee Foundation:

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Read These Blogs

2013-06-16T23:33:00.001-07:00

BEST STORY EVER: Jackie Chan Picks A Fight With Bruce Lee... And Loses: Jackie Chan shares an awesome story about the time Bruce Lee kicked his ass.

Seven Surprising Facts About Asian-American and Middle Eastern Boys: From racial profiling to bullying to poverty, here are some parallel struggles that Asian American and Middle Eastern boys face.

Housing Discrimination Still Exists, in Deceptively Subtle Forms: A new study released by U.S. Housing and Urban Development finds that housing discrimination still takes place across the country.

Letter to My Daughter: 'You Are Powerful. Know This In Your Heart.': Stay-at-home dad Jason Sperber writes a tear-jerker of a Father's Day letter to his two daughters.

Affirmative action and breaking the 'bamboo ceiling' for Asian Americans: As the Supreme Court prepares to announce its decision on Fisher vs. the University of Texas case, which could invalidate the use of race-conscious policies in college admissions, Asian American groups have been vocal in their opposition to affirmative action. But would ending these practices really level the playing field for Asian Americans?

Dads of Steel: In honor of Father's Day -- perfectly timed with the theatrical release of Man of Steel -- Jeff Yang explains why Asian American fathers and sons may find the latest Superman movie particularly resonant.

'Sullivan & Son' mom Jodi Long knows all about tough love: Jodi Long plays Cha Sullivan on Sullivan & Son, and recently released “Long Story Short," a documentary about her parents, Larry and Trudie Long, whose nightclub act ended up on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Culture Lessons Make an Impact: 18 year old Reece Akana is headed for Harvard in the fall. Listening to his grandmother's lessons helped him win a scholarship from the Karangalan Magkaisa Student Conference.

Why World Relief's Jenny Yang Feared Speaking on Immigration: Jenny Yang is one of the leading voices behind the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition of influential pastors and lobbyists working to drum up support for immigration reform among believers and members of Congress.

Is it hip to be Asian in America? And finally, I was on the radio last week, along with Giant Robot's Eric Nakamura, having a barely-scratch-the-surface conversation on the new Asian American cool.

This Week's Angriest Posts

2013-06-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Not necessarily the angriest, just the most viewed.

UC Riverside student charged in ex-boyfriend murder plot

Man fatally shot after car collision

Weird-Ass Craigslist Posting, Part 56: Seeking "Quality Asian"

Why didn't anyone tell me about Sara, crazy kid drummer?

Philadelphia Orchestra performs impromptu airplane concert on delayed Beijing flight

Goodbye, Lucky Star. Feds shut down another Chinatown bus.

Purdue students charged with hacking professors' accounts and changing grades

NYPD accused of anti-gay violence in Brooklyn incident

Brooklyn teen found stabbed to death

YOMYOMF presents David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face

See you today at the V3 Digital Media Conference, and see you next week at Netroots Nation.

Random Access Theatre presents Much Ado About Nothing

2013-06-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

New York! Catch a performance of Random Access Theatre's production of Much Ado About Nothing. This adaptation, by my good friend Jessica Ko, is set in Macao during the 17th century as a Portuguese colony and trading post. It runs until June 30. Here's more information, including which theater to head to, depending on the date:

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Angry Reader of the Week: Bao Phi

2013-06-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, good people. It's that time again. Time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Bao Phi.

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Casting Call: Lucy, The Mutant Human/Angel Hybrid Who Speaks with an Asian Accent (but is not Asian)

2013-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Uhhh... what the hell? Got this casting call passed along to me for an indie film called It's Gawd!, described as an irreverent comedy about what happens when the almighty gets his own television show.

One of the parts in question is a character called Lucy, "a mutant human/angel hybrid who speaks broken English with a strong Asian accent." But she apparently isn't Asian, so the part is open to actors of all ethnicities... except Asians. Wait, what?

Yeah, I don't get it either. Here's the full breakdown:

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Weird-Ass Craigslist Posting, Part 56: Seeking "Quality Asian"

2013-06-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, the stuff you find on Craigslist. It's endlessly amusing and appalling. Like this super-crazy personal ad that I'm told has been making the rounds in API gay circles: Quality Asian for BF and Life Partner - 37.

An "Asian (Chinese American), thirty-seven y/o, 5'11" tall, 155, young looking with fit and smooth built" seeks a suitable mate for dating and possible life partnership. But you can't just be any geek off the street. You have to be a Quality Asian. This person has laid out some pretty strict guidelines for his ideal special someone, including a complex, highly specific scoring system (minimum score: 35 points).

Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese men are preferred (+20), but if you're Vietnamese (-5) or Indian (-10), you're going to have to work overtime to impress this guy's high-ass standards:

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Purdue students charged with hacking professors' accounts and changing grades

2013-06-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Asians behaving badly... grade-tampering college student edition! At Purdue University, three students are facing several felony charges after hacking into their professors' computer accounts and changing their grades to better scores: Police: Purdue engineering students tampered with professors' accounts, changed grades.

Sujay Sharma, Mitsutoshi Shirasaki and Roy Sun were charged in Tippecanoe Superior Court with multiple offenses, including conspiracy to commit computer tampering, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit computer trespass.

According to court documents, Shirasaki had been installing key-logging devices in various keyboards in classrooms and professors' offices to obtain their passwords. Ds and Fs were changes to As or Bs, Cs were changed to As, and when they got really greedy, As were even changed to A-pluses:

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Man fatally shot after car collision

2013-06-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

What the hell? This is some disturbing news out of the Bay Area, where a man was shot and killed after a confrontation with two men who had rear-ended his car: Emeryville man slain after Oakland crash.

22-year-old Aya Nakano was on his way home from a pick-up basketball game on Wednesday night when his car was rear-ended in North Oakland.

After pulling over to the side of the road, he got into a confrontation with the two men in the other car, described as a newer-model four-door silver sedan. That's one of the men pulled out a gun and shot Nakano, who died at the scene.

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Linsanity returns to New York City for AAIFF'13

2013-06-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Next month, Linsanity makes its triumphant return to New York City. I'm talking about Linsanity, the documentary, which will have its New York premiere as the Opening Night presentation of the 36th Asian American International Film Festival on July 24 at the Asia Society's Lila Wallace Acheson Theatre.

The film, directed by Evan Jackson Leong, retells the awesome story of Jeremy Lin's stunning and unlikely rise to NBA stardom. Remember that? Yeah, that was awesome. Catch Linsanity in the city where it all started before the film hits the road for its theatrical release in the fall.

You can purchase tickets here. And stay tuned for the full AAIFF'13 lineup, to be unveiled next week.

Apply to the 2013-14 Armed With a Camera Fellowship

2013-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Attention filmmakers! Visual Communications is seeking young and aspiring filmmakers to apply for the 12th edition of the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists. The program nurtures the next generation of Asian Pacific American media artists to capture their world, surroundings and outlook on life.

Visual Communications works with the Fellows for seven months and provides special training, mentoring and networking opportunities, access to facilities and equipment, plus a cash and rental stipend to create four to five-minute digital shorts that premiere at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and other venues nationwide. Here's some more information:

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Sevenly partners with LiNK to rescue North Korean refugees

2013-06-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sevenly is a t-shirt company that raises money for charities. This week, they're donating $7 of every item sold to help LiNK (Liberty in North Korea). Support funds will go towards the undercover rescue mission of North Korean refugees who are currently in hiding. Every $2500 funds another rescue mission:

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UC Riverside student charged in ex-boyfriend murder plot

2013-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Holy crap. In Riverside, California, a college student faces several felony charges after trying to get her boyfriend to murder her ex: UC Riverside Student Accused of Plotting to Murder Her Ex-Boyfriend.

21-year-old Barbara Wu allegedly told her boyfriend, Dennis Lin, to kidnap her ex-boyfriend, break his legs with a baseball bat, kill him and discard the body. Realizing the holy-shit nature of the situation, her boyfriend went to the police, and recorded her discussing the murder plot.

Wu pleaded not guilty to charges of soliciting murder, stalking, online harassment, terrorist threats and other misdemeanor and felony crimes:

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New on Blu-ray: Enter the Dragon 40th Anniversary Edition

2013-06-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Bruce fans, you know what's up. The 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray of Enter the Dragon, one of the friggin' greatest movies ever, is now in stores. This movie's got everything -- an island martial arts tournament, some silly sneaking around, a crazy villain with a claw, and Bruce Lee at his most badass. Here's the original 1973 trailer for Enter the Dragon:

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Margaret Cho's webseries In Transition premieres July 3

2013-06-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

So what's Margaret Cho been up to lately? Doing that internet thing, yo. Starting next month, you can see the veteran comedian starring in her first scripted comedy web series, In Transition, premiering on her official YouTube channel: Margaret Cho to Star in Scripted Comedy on YouTube .

The 13-episode series is described as a dark comedy about a trio of women newly released from prison. Each episode of In Transition will be followed by a live "hangout" between Margaret and viewers on YouTube. Here's the series trailer:

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Why didn't anyone tell me about Sara, crazy kid drummer?

2013-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize that I'm nearly five years late on this one, but people, why did it take this long for someone to tell me about Sara, the Japanese teen drummer with mad skills? Watch her stick-twirling insanity as she goes off on a face-melting rendition of Rush's "YYZ." It's nothing short of mesmerizing:

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NYPD accused of anti-gay violence in Brooklyn incident

2013-06-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

In New York City, three gay men are accusing the NYPD of homophobia and harassment, saying they were called anti-gay slurs, assaulted and wrongly arrested in a confrontation with officers last week: Brooklyn Police Beat Gay Man and Use Homophobic Slurs, Victim and Friends Say.

26-year-old Josh Williams says that he and two friends, Ben Collins and Antonio Maenza, were walking past the 79th Precinct police station when an officer accused one of the men of urinating against the station house and threw him against a squad car. During the ordeal, the men were pepper sprayed, handcuffed and called homophobic slurs.

Part of the incident was caught on video:

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AAPI Caucus at Netroots Nation, June 21 #NN13

2013-06-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

If you're one of the many progressive online activists headed to Netroots Nation in San Jose next week, you are invited to take part in the official AAPI Caucus, a gathering of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at the conference. It's happening Friday, June 21 at 10:30am in Room 114 of the San Jose Convention Center. Here are some more details:

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