I never heard of Four Loko until it was banned, and now I really wanna try it, dangnabit! Too bad it’s now illegal in my home state of WA AND probably in NY state. Christ, looks like I’ll have to travel to Portland (or even worse – Jersey!) for a fix.
For those of you who, like me, assumed the words “four loko” were the lyrics to a Pitbull song — it’s a fruity-flavored energy drink loaded with up to 12% alcohol (3 times that of beer) and the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee. It’s also gots some extra goodies thrown in, like taurine, guarana, and wormwood (an ingredient in the notorious and noxious absinthe).
Extreeemmme!! But apparently this rager in a can induces blackouts amongst the youths, and has been dubbed “legalized liquid cocaine”, or “the convenient alternative to having to awkwardly ‘hang out’ with your dealer”. Which has led to local officials’ attempts to ban Four Loko in bodegas and mini-marts.
But to truly gain an understanding of the kind of crazy-making Four Loko brings to the table, you need…Taiwanese CGI! Huzzah!
I like hijinks just as much as the next pushing-30 gal, but waking up in a cage with a gorilla?! No thank you, those days are over for me. I’m willing to stick to my usual ways of gettin’ hyphy, like staying up past 10 pm, jaywalking, and trying to pet alley cats. Extreeeeeeme!!!
Today is Election Day. Midterms may not be as sexay and glamorous as the 2008 Presidential elections were, but they’re just as important, if not more.
Because there are even more bigoted, unbelievably stupid crazies this time around. See: Christine “I’m Not a Witch, I Am You!” O’Donnell, Sharron “I’ve Been Called the First Asian Legislator in Nevada!” Angle, and the entire Tea Party and their misspelled signs that would be hilarious if not so terrifyingly earnest.
As underrepresented people of color, issues that matter deeply to our well-being will be at the top of the national agenda in the coming term: whether it’s immigration, the economy, or gay rights — and who controls the House and Senate will deeply affect whether our human rights are advocated for or curtailed.
Yeah, we’ve heard the arguments that the two parties are basically in the same bed, and all the candidates are the same crooked politicians whether Dem or Republican, and that none of it makes a difference anyway and why even bother because what we really need is to abolish the two-party system and implement Socialism like the Scandinavians and move to Canada and blah blah blah.
I can understand and even agree with the logic of these arguments — but this time around there is too much at stake, and our civic engagement DOES MATTER. Because every ballot you fail to cast is basically a vote FOR Republicans. Yeah, you may have your “principles”, but you’re about to skewer everyone else on them (remember Nader & the Green Party), so get over yourself and just vote for the lesser of two evils (and if you’re in New York, please don’t ironically vote for Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is 2 Damn High Party — the man has a good point and even better facial hair, but this guy’ll never win and every vote wasted on him puts homophobic Carl Paladino closer to the Governor’s seat).
Also, I find that people who tow this line usually take voting for granted (i.e. entitled hippie/hipster white dudes), and are ignoring the historical legacy of the civil rights movement and the efforts of folks who died in the struggle for enfranchisement. Women, people of color, the poor and landless, basically everyone who ever got shat on in this country have been a part of this.
And as a largely immigrant community, we know that not everyone in our immediate family has the right to vote. So us 1st, 1.5, 2nd, and so-on generations should understand the long, challenging, but extremely coveted process that is the path to naturalization and the ability to go to the polls. Voting is not only a right but a privilege, and I personally feel that by not voting, I’d be trivializing the struggles of those who fought so hard for my right to have a voice. Basically, I’d be an ungrateful, spoiled, assbrat.
Our population is also the most at risk of “dropping off” from voting: whereas we turned out in record numbers in 2008 — people of color, young adults, single women, and low-income folks have the highest potential for not voting in the midterms. But you know who mos def will be voting? See aforementioned crazies and their supporters. And in order to win, they are banking on the hopes that people like us do not turn out.
So please please on my knees — go to the polls, mail in your ballot, and convince your friends and fam to do the same. Or sweet jeebus help me I will totally de-friend you on the facebook and cut you in line when we’re all down at the food bank four years from now cuz the the Repubes swindled all our money and flushed the economy completely down the toilet.
Aside from the fact that someone might wanna call Child Protective Services on this family/game show, this whole set-up is pretty badass. Wanna train your kids to be fuckin’ warriors? Than arrange for a terrifying, movie-quality zombie to chase them through the streets and bust into their apartment. See how quickly they can set booby traps and how they react in nightmarish fight-or-flight situations.
Big brother here is clearly scared out of his shit but has the fightin’ cajones to not only tell the zombie to bring it on, but to engage in full-on hand-to-hand aka saran wrap combat. Little boy, thy name be bravery. Sis’ Tobasco blood trick was pretty ingenious as well.
Your kids may be emotionally scarred and develop bed-wetting and night terror issues, but they’ll thank you for it in the event of a post-apocalyptic zombie takeover or alien attack.
Congratulations to the promoters of this party in Downtown San Jose for being the first recipient of BcB’s “Most offensive party club flyer for a Downtown San Jose nightclub for 21 and overs with a house/electro VIP room serving Grey Goose at the tables and a main hip-hop room”. You would think such a narrow award category would probably lead to a limited number of nominees, but if you thought that, you’ve never been to San Jose. Congrats! And remember, guns don’t kill people, the “guy that shanks you with a knife and your brother who retaliates by running him over with his car in the parking lot behind the Camera 3″ kills people.
then you should go ahead and vote for him, Orlando. For the rest of us, please check out this guy’s website and be scared. Cause those ads weren’t made by Colbert to make fun of Republicans. They’re real ads. I especially like his motto: “Keep the change, Give us liberty”. Did I ever tell you that Florida’s the only state in America that my parents have experienced racism?
Howdy pal! Are you an immigrant? Non-white? Kinda tanned? Speak another language? Wear Fobby slippers? Well, if you said yes to any of the above and you’re in Arizona, you’re shit outta luck!
Thanks to SB 1070 and Gov. Jan Brewer, if you arouse “reasonable suspicion” of being an illegal immigrant in the eyes of local AZ law enforcement, you can be stopped, asked to prove your legal status, and arrested. Now what, you may ask, on Jeebusez green earth qualifies one as being suspiciously illegal? What cues could police possibly be looking for? Speaking Spanish, wearing dish gloves and an apron, having mad cuzins, sporting brown skin…The sky’s the limit here folks! Let’s get creative with this harassment!
Is there anything really, that can “arouse suspicion”, that isn’t tied to race, ethnicity, and skin color? People generally don’t wear signs around their neck declaring their status. Nor do undocumented folks act different than legal residents. So what indicators do you think cops will use as a proxy?
SB 1070, at its core, has nothing to do with immigration status, which it claims to address. It actually don’t matter if you’re a citizen, a permanent resident, or undocumented. If you’re not white, you ain’t right. Meaning if you ain’t white, law enforcement has full authority to assume you are a criminal.
Now, everyone in Arizona is required to carry papers with them at all times, especially important if you are a person of color. Sound familiar? Gestapo-run Germany? South African apartheid? Jim Crow?
But that ain’t all. SB 1070 also criminalizes knowingly transporting an undocumented person. But 85% of immigrant families (those with at least one non-citizen parent) are mixed-status families. So it’s not unlikely that a US-born citizen would be prosecuted for driving their undocumented mom to the grocery store or doctor’s appointment. Also awesome: private citizens can sue police officers for not harassing suspected illegal immigrants enough, further empowering your charming neighborhood Minuteman or Teabagger.
Bottom line — AZ ain’t down with the brown. This law is out-and-out racist, no matter how many pundits try to rationalize or talk their way around it. It’s also unconstitutional, undermines the trust between the community and police required for the public safety of everyone, and will likely wreak havoc on AZ’s already-struggling economy (San Francisco’s City Attorney has called for a break of business contracts with the state, and others urge a boycott of Arizona Diamondbacks games).
And if you think this law only concerns the Latino community, guess again. Last time I checked, Asian Americans also have a long history of being stereotyped and harassed based on our appearance and language, and we are included in the populations being smuggled across the border (arrests of Chinese crossing the AZ border increased tenfold in the last year), and subsequently who law enforcement will be profiling. What affects one community affects us all, and we need to stand up together to fight it.
The silver lining of all this is, hopefully the national attention garnered will put pressure on federal administration for Comprehensive Immigration Reform — something Obama promised to deliver during his first year in office. It’s up to us to hold him accountable. May 1st is National Immigration Day. Go here to find a rally or here for more info on boycotting AZ (did you know P.F. Chang’s is headquartered in Phoenix? Delicious). Text “Justice” to 69866 to join the campaign for immigration reform. NOW is the time to put government’s feet to the fire. Otherwise, we continue our downward slide towards becoming criminals in our own country.
Hey Bay Area Muni, New York MTA — you don’t have a monopoly over crazy ass people on public transport!
Seattle’s got a fightin’ chance here, with the added bonus of some terrifying hicks in Seahawks gear. Go Hawks!
Seriously, riding the 48 Metro to school back in the day smelled like a garbage pile wrapped in a hot McDonald’s fart with a heapin’ side of B.O. And lifting my feet to avoid the oncoming stream of urine from the back of the bus was an almost weekly occurrence on the 16 route. The chief public safety rule, in order to prevent harm to your person or the advances of your friendly neighborhood sex offender, was to avoid all eye contact or any acknowledgment of your surroundings. And dude who haplessly walked into the eye of the FTW vortex seems to be a seasoned pro.
Wow, this is actually making me a lil’ misty-eyed with nostalgia for ol’ Joe Metro. Truth. And this just helps support my theory that Starbucks is really the root of all evil.
Seriously? You appropriate Asian culture by doing shitty kung fu flicks and practicing your version of “eastern religion” and now you gonna try appropriating a Vietnamese female as well? (my use of appropriating means sexually harass and traffic in this context) Please! Don’t F with a NGUYEN! And if you want a PRO to be your assistant, HIRE A PRO! If you want an assistant, HIRE AN ASSISTANT. Who hires an assistant to be a PRO? Ohhh, I know! I know! A delusional ex-Hollywood star who gained unbelievable amounts of weight for an action star and thinks its acceptable to dress like Tin Tin in The Blue Lotus when he’s buying a latte at the Coffee Bean or picking up a Nickelodeon Children’s Choice Award (circa 1993). Were you seriously looking for an assistant that would know MS Outlook/Office 2007 AND be able to fondle you? You’re insane and I hope you spend the rest of your life making a reality show about fending off inmate assaults in jail with your tai chi karate moves.
On her first night of work, Seagal allegedly engaged in physical and sexual assault by “pushing his hands under her shirt and attempting to fondle her bare breast,” and “forcing her head against his bare chest.”
Then she claims the next morning things got even worse. He allegedly “forcibly held her legs apart.” Then “forced his hand down her pants…” The document goes into graphic detail that isn’t suitable for all audiences.
Then the suit alleges a third physical assault took place a few hours later, where “Seagal forcibly lifted Ms. Nguyen’s blouse, forced his head on her bare chest and attempted to suck her breasts and nipples. He stopped only when she ran.”
After only a few days of work, Nguyen left the house on Sunday, February 28, 2010.
Happy Easter! Whether your celebrations involve criticizing the Pope, organizing a peeps-eating contest, or digging under bushes and elbowing 8-year-olds to get at that last tin-foil chocolate egg — I think we can all appreciate the enduring and far-reaching influence of the Easter Bunny! And so in homage to this sacred American icon, I leave you with this:
And this:
And again:
Amazingly, even more terrifying than the Donnie Darko bunny could ever be.
You’re welcome!
Many more pics of sketch-ass easter bunnies who probably should be nowhere near children here, courtesy of Buzzfeed.
Ya’ll may have heard via CNN about “Rapeplay”, a Japanese interactive video game featuring unwilling, busty young girls — which users can virtually stalk, grope, repeatedly rape, and even cajole to get an abortion. In another game, the object is to exact revenge for getting fired by finding and raping a female boss.
This and similar games, as well as their ready availability on the internet, has had many individuals and women’s rights groups up in arms, including a campaign mounted by Equality Now in May 2009.
I don’t think I need to explain how fucked up this is. Themes of rape and assault in Japan are nothing new as far as porn and hentai go. But I also wonder — is there a way to measure the impact this may be having in real life, which is what many critics voice concern over?
According to rape statistics per capita by country, 53 countries rank higher than Japan, including the US, Australia, and Canada. Disturbing fantasies aside, maybe Japan just does a better job of teaching its men: “Hey guys, don’t rape! Not OK!”, while countries such as the US tend to put the onus for avoiding sexual assault — as well as the blame — squarely on the victim.
However, due to the stigma associated with being a rape victim, especially in Asian countries, I’m highly skeptical of stats since they only reflect reported cases. Even in the US, the Dept of Justice estimated that only 26% of rapes or attempted rapes are reported to law enforcement officials.
Another take on the controversy can be found at gaming blog Kotaku, which has been following the issue since last spring. To summarize today’s post from Kotaku’s Senior Contributing Editor Brian Ashcraft: “RapeLay” came out in 2006, but has been out of print since Western audiences began to protest the game. In June 2009, Japan’s Ethics Organization of Computer Software held an emergency meeting, and decided to implement a self-policing policy that the manufacture and sale of rape-type games should stop.
However, there was no legislation passed (meaning they’re technically still legal), and to me it looks like implementation and effectiveness has been spotty (see CNN’s video in which these games are still easily obtained). Some manufacturers simply found a way around the policy by re-naming games with titles like “Slave Maiden’s Rape Hell” to “Young Girl’s Prison”.
According to Kotaku and Ashcraft, the games featured in the CNN report are outdated, and the angle of the story sets up Japan as a morally-absent “punching bag”, casting an typically Western, overly critical (and hypocritical) eye on Japan’s gaming options.
I know these aren’t themes that appeal to people in Japan only. Perverts abound everywhere. But there is a difference between kinky fantasies practiced by two consenting adults, and a fantasy based upon another party’s unwillingness and victimization. At the end of the day — whether these games really have an impact on people’s attitudes and behavior or not — I’m sickened and saddened that sexually assaulting someone is used as a form of entertainment or excitement. No amount of rationalizing or justification would make me feel OK with a boyfriend, a relative, or a friend plugging into this garbage.
2012 LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Southern California’s Largest Asian Film Festival Runs May 10 – 20, 2012, Will Present 188 Films From Over 20 Countries Featuring World Premieres, Sneak Previews; Showcasing Documentaries and Narratives Focusing on the Voices of Asian Americans and Asian Peoples from Around the World.
MAY 10 – 20, 2012 28th LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL A VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTION www.vconline.org/festival
Bookish Bitchin
Its gonna be hard as hell to write a review of a book like this without spoilers. So let me just say this book has gently nestled its way into my Murakami top 3, just under Wind Up Bird Chronicles and barely inching above Norwegian Wood. This means a lot cause I'm a fanatic over his ish and spend way too much money on multiple copies of his books... If you're a veteran Murakami reader, you'll love how long this book is. More time before the Murakami-withdrawal hits. You'll also like hearing from a female protagonist for the first time. If this is your first Murakami book, I'd read one of his books with less magical realism first, After Dark or Kafka on the Shore then move up to 1Q84 about 3-4 books later. Also, you might wanna buy the digital version (although the US hardcopy is a sight to behold) cause this book be phat!
