Archive for the ‘Off-Topic’ category

Yellow Fever, Our Creation, Our Misconception

May 7th, 2010

First of all, please let me apologize for the occasional “Asian Dating” or “Find an Asian bride” type ads on this website’s sidebar. I get annoyed of them too.

The reason these ads continue to show up is because Google’s Adsense program (Content Network for advertisers) targets and serves ads based on the content on any given page. Since all I do here is rant about Asian-American societal matters, Google picks up my frequent use of terms such as Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc… and then sells advertising space for pages related to these themes to advertisers. Anyway, I digress…

Onto Yellow Fever…

As I review the large number of dating/bride-services advertisers that continue to target this site, I can’t help but think that this growing list of advertisers is only indicative of the overall growth in Yellow Fever amongst Americans. Everyone is going after Asian women these days. As an Asian male, sure, I noticed a disparaging amount of white guys that date Asian girls.

But I never actually took the time to think about which way causality was for this phenomenon. Is it that white guys like to pursue Asian girls? Or is it Asian girls that like to pursue white guys. Obviously with the coining of Yellow Fever as a commonly accepted phrase to describe the former, I actually think we should revisit this assumption.

I recently came across a  London School of Economics study, that finds supports against an actual Yellow Fever phenomenon amongst white guys:

We found no evidence of the stereotype of a white male preference for East Asian women. However, we also found that East Asian women did not discriminate against white men (only against black and Hispanic men). As a result, the white man-Asian woman pairing was the most common form of interracial dating—but because of the women’s neutrality, not the men’s pronounced preference. Men don’t seem to discriminate based on race when it comes to dating. A woman’s race had no effect on the men’s choices. (Full article)

“Men don’t seem to discriminate based on race when it comes to dating.” I so want to disagree, but I can’t. Toushe London Fancy Pants School of Economics, I’ll give you this round.

After reading the article and the study, I realized this whole time what yellow fever actually was. We Asian-Americans coined the term Yellow Fever. Caucasians coined Yellow Peril in the 19th century to incite fear of massive Asian immigration to the US, and now we Asian-American males just did the same with Yellow Fever to incite fear that Asian women our vanishing. Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison (bad things never happened to people because of “Yellow Fever”), but I just like to make analogies.

But you know what, let’s put an end to this yellow fever mumbo jumbo. Because well, as it turns out, it’s all a figment of our imaginations.

Appendix

And if you’re curious, here’s the list of sites I’ve already blocked. I advise you to not check any of these sites out :-)

  • asianpeoplemeet.com
  • asianpersonalmatch.com
  • asianpersonalsmatch.com
  • asianspersonalmatch.com
  • cebuanas.com
  • chinalovematch.com
  • chinalovematch.net
  • chnlove.com
  • gayasiansingles.com
  • myweddingfavors.com
  • russianeuro.com
  • sugardaddyforme.com
  • asian-singles-online.org

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Posted in Asian American Media, Asian Nuances, Off-Topic

Unexplainable Eastern Remedies Prevail Again

January 29th, 2010

Once again, I had another personal ailment cured by some crazy Chinese remedy.

Every year, I develop a nasty cough in the Winter months. Last year, my cough was so bad that I couldn’t even sleep without coughing my lungs out and waking up throughout the night. While hesitant to run home and tell mommy where it hurts, like most inquisitive mothers, my mom found out about my chronic cough soon enough.

Naturally, my mom gave me the most ridiculous cough syrup for me to try.

…African Sea Coconut syrup. Yes, whatever thoughts that are going through your mind right now were exactly those that went through mine.

Yet despite my reservations, the remedy worked like a charm. The rest of the labels is in Chinese so I really have no idea what the rest of the ingredients are.

In terms of growing up as a young Asian-American, my experience with this magical juice reminded me of the outright rejection most Westerners have towards Eastern medicine (not only Chinese medicine). Westerners historically have been reluctant to accept Asian chiropractors, accupuncture, herbs, medicine, and in my case – African Sea Coconut Juice.

However, regardless of the means, Eastern medicine more often than not works. No matter how perplexing the remedies may seem :-)

Heck, I even did some research and Amazon.com actually sells this product online. And check out the unanimous 5-star ratings African Sea Coconut juice received:

A colleague gave me a bottle of this cough mixture when I had severe bronchitis. It was like a miracle! My coughing decreased immediately without any side effects. I asked 2 Chinese friends about it and they said that they always use it. Since it is made from all natural ingredients, there is no drowsiness or headaches. This is a hidden gem.

Several years ago, I came down with laryngitis that quickly turned into bronchitis. I turned to the usual over-the-counter stuff to relieve the symptoms, but nothing worked. Then a colleague at work recommended African Sea Coconut cough syrup. It was expensive by comparison to the commercial stuff, but what did I have to lose?

Well, I tried it, and…lo and behold!…it worked! It not only worked, but it was a pleasure to use. Unlike the usual stuff from the drug store, it actually tastes good, as well as calming coughs and helping get rid of congestion.

It’s available in most health food stores. If you’re local shop it having trouble getting it, it *is* available online. It may be somewhat more expensive than the commercial stuff, but it’s better than throwing money away on something that doesn’t work at all.

This product surely is the best kept secret! I have tested every cough medicine that you can imagine. You name it, I’ve had take it, and no one ( and I have to say that again) No other medicine that I’ve taken before ever cured me as fast and as effective as this one. This medicine not only relieves you from all of your symptoms ( sore scratchy throat, tickling, cough,congestion,etc.), it absolutely cures you by addressing the cause of them, which is by loosening all the stucked phlegm no metter if it is in your head, and you elliminate it by your nose. Or if it is already in your lungs and you elliminate it by coughing. Give this product a try, and you will absolutely remember and thank me for it!!!!

Who knows, African Sea Coconut may even be the cure to cancer and global poverty ;-)

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Posted in Asian Nuances, Off-Topic

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I’m Back! Forreal This Time

January 14th, 2010

Wow, so it’s been a very very long while. Lot’s of bloggers go through it. As a matter of fact, the hardest part of blogging is probably to consistently blog. But the creative spirit and urge to write is back in me and I feel the holy blogger spirit flowing through my fingers.

I’ve been extremely busy these days with my professional life. But to show you all that I’m back and that I mean it, I’ve grabbed this spiffy new design over from WordPress.

So be ready for frequent unadulterated banter from your favorite Asian blogger.

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Posted in Off-Topic

Fight On San Francisco MUNI Bus | Latest Viral YouTube Video

October 8th, 2009

Well first things first, apologies for the lack of updates.

But let us get things brewing again with some viral video and what many have claimed to be racial tension on the much beloved San Francisco MUNI. The following video literally just hit YouTube, and from it, you get a front row shot to some good ol’  fisticuffs between two riders.

Now, my Cantonese isn’t strong enough to decipher everything the Asian lady was shouting in her heavy Chinese dialect that’s close to Cantonese (Probably Taishan) . But here’s what I could pick up:

  • The MUNI is a line that goes through San Francisco Chinatown, ergo the bus full of Asians
  • Either the Asian lady was taking up two seats with her groceries or the Black lady was taking up two seats with her purse [EDIT: Open to both possibilities. A number of commenters have translated and say the Asian lady is claiming the former; the video doesn't capture anything prior to the argument]
  • Then, either the Asian lady moved the Black lady’s purse to sit down or vice versa with the groceries
  • From there, all hell breaks loose

From where the video starts, it looks like the black woman started the argument. There’s not enough video for us to really know who and how it started, but one thing I must say, the Asian lady’s broad vocabulary that is exclusives to the phrases “Fuck you” and “You are stupid” clearly escalated the conflict.

Was this fight initiated due to some sort of Bay-Area-Black-Asian racial tension?

Probably not.

[Edit: Took my personal opinion, that were biased against the Asian lady, out. It's been brewing some very ignorant comments from other Asian-Americans reading this blog.]

Hilariously entertaining video, but nothing racial behind it for me to dissect here on Chinese or Japanese?

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Gunman Jiverly Wong Fires Shots Into American Civic Association Class

April 8th, 2009

With the current state of the global economy, it’s sad to continually hear news that paints an ugly and dreary picture of our world.

On Friday April 3, Jiverly Wong walked into a Binghamton (New York) immigration center and began a shooting rampage nearly firing off 100 shots before Wong finally  shot himself. 13 people died in the rampage.

Wong, a Vietnamese, ethnic-Chinese, immigrant sent a letter to the local news station before the shooting expressing paranoia of undercover police officers stalking him, disgruntlement with people who teased his accent, and general frustration at recently being laid off.

It’s a sad story. 

Here is a recent CNN story on the incident.

Here is Jiverly Wong’s letter to the news station.

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Posted in Asians In The News, Off-Topic

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Major US Company’s 2009 First Quarter Layoffs

March 2nd, 2009

The following has nothing to do with the usual Asian-American race relations issues I like to bring up, but with the present economy, it’s hard to ignore the job cuts, plummeting stocks, and uncertainty. I came across the following list of major US companies and their job cuts in the first quarter of 2009 alone.

To everyone holding onto their current jobs or in search of one, I wish you the best of the luck, and want to assure you that challenges and struggle only strenthen us.

Best wishes from Chinese or Japanese.

Company Name            Date of      Number of      Percent
                       Announcement    Jobs Cut     Work Force

HSBC                    03/02/2009       6,100         N/A
GKN                     02/26/2009       2,400         N/A
RSA Insurance           02/26/2009       1,200          6%
Nortel Networks         02/25/2009       3,200         10%
Advantest Corp.         02/25/2009       1,200         25%
Lonmin PLC              02/24/2009       5,500         18%
Spansion Inc.           02/23/2009       3,000         35%
Micron Technology Inc.  02/23/2009       2,000        8.8%
Anglo American          02/20/2009      19,000         11%
Embraer                 02/19/2009       4,300         20%
Avon Products           02/19/2009   2,500-3,000       N/A
Goodyear Tire           02/18/2009       5,000          7%
Rockwood Holdings       02/18/2009         900          9%
General Motors Corp.    02/17/2009      47,000       18.7%
Chrysler LLC            02/17/2009       3,000         N/A
Smithfield Foods        02/17/2009       1,800        3.4%
Wal-Mart Stores         02/13/2009   1,100-1,200 -k    N/A
Pioneer Corp.           02/12/2009      10,000 -l      16% -l
ArcelorMittal           02/11/2009       9,000          3%
General Motors          02/10/2009      10,000         14% -g
Unisys                  02/10/2009       1,300         N/A
UBS                     02/10/2009       2,000        2.6%
FedEx Corp.             02/09/2209         900        2.6% -j
Anglo Platinum          02/09/2009      10,000         13%
Nissan Motor            02/08/2009      20,000          8%
International Rectifier 02/05/2009         850         18%
Power-One Inc.          02/05/2009       1,000         22%
Bombardier              02/05/2009       1,360        4.5%
Estee Lauder            02/05/2009       2,000          6%
Time Warner Cable       02/04/2009       1,250          3%
Harman International    02/04/2009       1,110        9.4%
Panasonic               02/04/2009      15,000          5%
Electronic Arts Inc.    02/03/2009       1,100         11%
PNC Financial Services  02/03/2009       5,800         10%
SAS                     02/03/2009       3,000         13% -h
Atlas Copco             02/02/2009       3,000          9%
Macy's                  02/02/2009       7,000          4%
NEC                     01/30/2009      20,000          7%
Hitachi                 01/30/2009       7,000          2%
Caterpillar             01/30/2009      22,110 -f      N/A
American Axle           01/30/2009       3,000         N/A
Chartered Semiconductor 01/29/2009         600          8%
Charles Schwab Corp.    01/29/2009     500-600       3.7%-4.5%
Black & Decker          01/29/2009       1,200          5%
Bon-Ton Stores Inc.     01/29/2009       1,150          3%
Eastman Kodak           01/29/2009       4,500         18%
AstraZeneca             01/29/2009       7,400         11%
Ford Motor Credit       01/28/2009       1,200         20%
Boeing Co.              01/28/2009      10,000          6% -d
Allstate Corp.          01/28/2009       1,000 -e     2.6%
Jabil Circuit           01/28/2009       3,000        4.9%
AOL                     01/28/2009         700         10%
Starbucks               01/28/2009       6,700          4%
SAP                     01/28/2009       3,000          6%
STMicroelectronics      01/28/2009       4,500          9%
Avery Dennison          01/27/2009         N/A         10%
Baker Hughes            01/27/2009       1,500          4%
Corning                 01/27/2009       3,500         13%
Cooper Industries       01/27/2009       2,200          7%
Clariant                01/27/2009       1,000          5%
Texas Instruments       01/26/2009       3,400         12%
Home Depot              01/26/2009       7,000          2%
Sprint Nextel           01/26/2009       8,000         13%
Pfizer                  01/26/2009       8,300         10%
ING                     01/26/2009       7,000          5%
Philips Electronics     01/26/2009       6,000          5%
Corus                   01/26/2009       3,500         10%
Harley-Davidson         01/23/2009       1,100         11%
Microsoft               01/22/2009       5,000          5%
Huntsman                01/22/2009       1,175          9%
Intel                   01/21/2009       6,000 -c       7%
UAL                     01/21/2009       1,000          2%
Eaton                   01/20/2009       5,200          6%
Bose                    01/20/2009       1,000         10%
Rohm & Haas             01/20/2009         900        5.7%
Clear Channel           01/20/2009       1,850          9%
ConocoPhillips          01/16/2009       1,300          4%
Circuit City            01/16/2009      34,000        100% -a
Pfizer                  01/16/2009       3,200 -b       3%
AMD                     01/16/2009       1,100          9%
Hertz Global Holdings   01/16/2009       4,000         13%
Wellpoint               01/16/2009       1,500        3.6%
Saks                    01/15/2009       1,100          9%
MeadWestvaco            01/15/2009       2,000         10%
Autodesk                01/15/2009         750         10%
Motorola                01/14/2009       4,000          6%
Barclays                01/14/2009       2,100        1.3%
Seagate Technology      01/12/2009         800         10%
Cessna                  01/12/2009       2,000         N/A
Walgreen                01/08/2009       1,000          9% -i
Lenovo Group            01/08/2009       2,500         11%
EMC                     01/07/2009       2,400          7%
Alcoa                   01/06/2009      15,000       14.5%
Cigna                   01/05/2009       1,100          4%

e. Reductions to come over the next two years
f. Includes 20,000 job cuts announced Jan. 26 and 2,110 announced Jan. 30
g. 14% of salaried work force.
h. The work force will be reduced by another 5,600 staff as divisions are

divested or outsourced.

i. The percentage represents cuts made to eligible corporate positions and
certain field-management positions

j. Percentage of work force reduced at FedEx Freight unit.

k. Cuts include corporate headquarters staff reduction announced Feb. 10 and
Georgia return center staff announced Feb 13.

l. Cutting 6,000 permanent jobs, or 16% of global work force, plus 4,000
temporary jobs.

Source: CNN Money

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