SYNERGY

The Economist on hip-hop.

Hip-hop on The Economist.

--O.W.

EQUALITY AT ANY COST?

getting grilled
I have class on the brain lately - not class as in "teaching class" but class as in social stratification. I'll probably prep a longer post later but for now, chew on this.

Read this article about sex discrimination at one of Phoenix's more exclusive country clubs and then ponder:

Is equality always worth striving and fighting for in principle even when one struggle for equality still reifies or leaves untouched other structures of inequality?

Note: I'm not trying to posit a "gender vs. class" debate here.

--O.W.

FORGET LEBRON AND KING KONG, IT'S OBAMA'S TURN

--O.W.

GETTING HUNGRY?

surprise!
It's really interesting how, in just the last few years, there's been this surge in interest in thinking about Chinese restaurants:

Cheuk Kwan's amazing Chinese Restaurants series

Indigo Som's Chinese restaurants art project

Jennifer 8. Lee's recent Fortune Cookie Chronicles

And now there's "Have Food Will Travel" a new travelogue video that my old student from the Bay Area, Leonard Shek, is putting together. Check out the teaser video that finds Shek traveling to the Pearl River Delta to learn something about the place that turns out so many immigrants who come to the U.S. and cook our food. Looks promising:


Have Food Will Travel: Pearl River Delta from Leonard on Vimeo.

--O.W.

RACIAL DRAFT = REAL?

ahead of the curve

The prescience of Dave Chappelle is mindboggling: "In South Africa, Chinese is the New Black"

"...A high court in South Africa ruled on Wednesday that Chinese-South Africans will be reclassified as “black."

Just to be serious, this is what these guys would call a "racial project." It's definitely not something unique to South Africa.

--O.W.

THE DEATH OF A DISAPPOINTED IDEALIST

George Carlin, 1937-2008. R.I.P.

I don't have many heroes, but George Carlin is one of them.

When I first watched Jammin' in New York, his 1992 HBO special, I was instantly infected with his love of language and artfully crafted rants.

Even though he presented himself as an apolitical grump with "major psychotic" hatred for everyone and everything around him, I always picked up on an underlying set of morals and principles.

Carlin liked to repeat this expression, when asked to explain his work: "Scratch any cynic, and underneath you'll find a disappointed idealist." This resonates with me in ways that I'm still realizing. Anytime I become too cynical, I try to remind myself that it's only my idealism crying out.

To me, George Carlin was a political and cultural agitator masked as a comedian. And that's something I've always admired and often tried to emulate.

Take this Carlin quote:

We have to declare war on everything. We have the war on crime, the war on poverty, the war on litter, the war on cancer, the war on drugs.

But did you ever notice, we got no war on homelessness? You know why? There's no money in that problem! No money to be made off of the homeless. If you could find a solution to homelessness where the corporate swine and the politicians could steal a couple of million dollars each, you'd see the streets of America begin to clear up pretty god-damned quick, I'll guarantee you that!

I don't even see a joke in there. But people were laughing. And people paid him to hear him say that! And HBO aired that ... repeatedly! Pretty amazing, I thought to myself. I'd like to do that one day.

I didn't always agree with what he said and, sometimes, I was downright offended. But I loved the way he crafted it together. His work was poetry.

--Junichi

DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM COUTURE

Remember when I posted that Dolce & Gabbana ad that suggested a glossy gang rape?

Here below is what seems like yet another provocative D&G ad in their gang bang oeuvre, only this time they've eliminated the woman and replaced the victim with a guy who was knocked out cold after drinking a roofie smoothie with a rohypnol boost.

If this photo were in a museum, the piece would certainly be titled "WHAT IS THAT GUY POINTING AT?" because that's what everyone will be discussing.

But art experts and medical students will conclude, as I have, that there is no harmful message or innuendo embedded in this ad.

Rather, the man on the very right is merely teaching his apprentice how to perform a rectal exam to look for signs of colorectal cancer.

Q.E.D. this D&G ad is a P.S.A.

Thanks, Dolce & Gabbana. I'm going to schedule that colonoscopy now!

--Junichi

YOU CAN KNOCK THE HUSTLE

Is it possible for Ricky Gervais to look cooler than J-Hova?

It is.

Especially if Jigga Man is wearing Charles Nelson Reilly's glasses while checking out a Coldplay performance.

(Credit: BWE)

--Junichi

OBAMA'S PROBLEM WITH WHITE SUBURBAN WOMEN

Do not ignore the lady in red

According to the most recent NBC/WSJ poll, Obama has a six-point advantage over McCain.

But for me, the most interesting aspect of the survey is that McCain has a six-point advantage over Obama among white suburban women (44 to 38), who constitute 10% of the national electorate.

The same poll concludes that Obama's lead would expand to a nine-point lead if he added Clinton as his running mate, despite evidence of many voters' strong negative association with her.

Given these numbers, how can anybody argue that Clinton would be a net loss? And in response to some of the comments left on this post, how can anybody argue that the selection of a VP doesn't matter? A 3 percentage point swing would have altered the results in 1992, 2000, and 2004, just to name a few.

(Thanks to my $50,000 question on Millionaire, I'm suddenly an expert on election results.)

I have no idea why any Clinton-supporting white suburban woman would vote for McCain over Obama, except for reasons related to prejudice, ignorance of issues, or irrational bitterness. (Is McCain's clear anti-choice record not common knowledge?)

But these numbers reflect a reality that Obama needs to figure out a way to reach out to white suburban women.

And therefore, despite my own personal objections with Senator Clinton, I remain convinced that Obama should consider her for the VP slot.

*

I suppose one other way that Obama could overcome his problem with white suburban women is to simply hope that this excerpt from the book The Real McCain by Cliff Schecter gets more mainstream coverage:

In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, 'You're getting a little thin up there.' McCain's face reddened, and he responded, 'At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.'

Like, for example, in this video below. (NSFW!)

--Junichi

MINNESOTA NO LONGER SHOOTING BLANKS

Minnesota the Horse: Stud or Dud?

Like all of you, I've set up Google Alerts for any breaking news stories that involve the words "horse vasectomy," "endangered sperm," or "Minnesota's reactivated testes."

And like all of you, my inbox has been bombarded with alerts to this morning's breaking news from the AP Wire:

Rare Horse Gets Reverse Vasectomy: Reversal Surgery Becomes First on Endangered Species

Minnesota, the name of the rare Przewalski horse, successfully received this ground-breaking vas-reconnecting surgery from Dr. Luis Padilla, who was probably chosen for his good equine bedside manners.

Look at this crazy photo of the operation:

I imagine we'll soon see this operation re-enacted on a future episode of Grey's Anatomy, except that the horse will initially be denied admission because he only has an HMO plan but will then be saved by Izzie after she throws a hissy fit about animal rights and sleeps with the hot veterinarian who goes by the nickname, McDoubleTeamy.

*

The restoration of Minnesota's reproductive capabilities does raise questions.

I get the reverse vasectomy. But I don't understand the reason behind the original vasectomy.

I'm no expert on the birds and the bees, but vasectomies seem like a bad way to continue the existence of a species on the verge of extinction.

The only plausible explanation I can think of is that the horse really hated using condoms.

--Junichi

ONE SENTENCE REVIEW OF N*E*R*D's SEEING SOUNDS

N*E*R*D's latest album

If you removed all the parts where Pharrell sings, Seeing Sounds would be a really awesome EP.

--Junichi

CHOICE FOR A NEW GENERATION

--O.W.

ANOTHER 20 FACTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT

Hangin' Tough

Below is my latest list of facts that I find difficult to accept as true:

1. During 68 hours of oral arguments during the Supreme Court's last term, Justice Clarence Thomas did not utter a single word.


2. Halle Berry once dated Danny Wood, the least memorable member of the New Kids on the Block.


3. A baby was just born with an extra penis ... on his back.


4. In 1988, Adrienne Brown, then-wife of James Brown, tried to have a number of traffic tickets dismissed on the grounds of diplomatic immunity. Her immunity arguments were based on U.S. Rep. Douglas Baynard once having made the statement, "James Brown is indeed our number one ambassador."


5. According to a recent Census Bureau survey, blacks and Chicano/Latinos are about three times more likely to find themselves living in a prison cell than in a college dormitory. (Oliver disagrees: see the comments)


6. Paul McCartney did an in-store performance at Amoeba Records in Hollywood.


7. When the Germans asked for Americans to surrender at the Battle of the Bulge, the official American response was: "NUTS!"


8. Feist and Peaches were once roommates.


9. Avocado is derived from the Spanish word 'aguacate' which is derived from 'ahuacatl' meaning testicle.


10. Luther Vandross handled vocal arrangements and provided backup vocals on David Bowie's "Young Americans."


11. In Washington state, a mother of a teenager son is attempting to prevent Urban Outfitters from selling racy, sexually suggestive material to children. Her last name: MILFS.
    


12. In an experiment that asked 18 strippers to log hours worked, tips earned, and whether they were ovulating, menstruating, or neither, scientists discovered that strippers earned $70 during their peak period of fertility, compared with $35 while menstruating.


13. The last name of the man who holds the patent for the floating ballcock used in modern toilets: Crapper.






14. $23 billion has recently gone missing in Iraq.


15. Fox News referred to Barack and Michelle Obama's fist bump as a "terrorist fist jab."
    


16. The last words spoken by Ohio death row prisoner James French, shortly before being executed in the electric chair, were to a newspaper reporter: "How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? FRENCH FRIES."


17. Richard Gere's middle name is Tiffany.


18. Rodney King is going to be on the upcoming season of Celebrity Rehab.


19. K-Mart is selling abstinence-themed pants.


20. At this point, more people have probably seen the video below -- of 13-year-old Sameer Mishra mistakenly thinking he was asked to spell the word "numbnut" at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee -- than the footage of Mishra winning the contest on ABC.

--Junichi

A BOOK BY A CROOK

Look, Scotty! My hands don't have blood!

Over the last few weeks, Bush ex-loyalist Scott McClellan's ubiquity on the press circuit has stirred quite the potpourri of emotions in me.

While I salivated over his forthrightness regarding the Bush Administration's Iraq War propaganda machine, I kept fuming over the fact that he -- the mouthpiece for the White House's lies -- would not fully acknowledge his complicity. I stomached four of his self-serving interviews and never once got the sense he was remorseful or regretful.

If I felt more comfortable using bad metaphors, I would compare my mixed feelings from listening to him to eating the most delicious meal while knowing that the meat came from my mother's arm.

Sure, Scotty bravely betrayed Bush and threw Bushies under a bus. But he used his own bloody hands to do it, when it was too late to do much. And then he used his spinning skills to momentarily convince me that his hands were clean.

If I felt more comfortable using bad metaphors, I would compare him to an awesome magician that saws my body in half, molests my lower half, and then uses his calm demeanor to convince me that the molestation was necessary to spread democracy.

Obviously, McClellan is profiting -- quite handsomely, I might add -- off his failures. Several weeks later, the book is still #2 on Amazon's bestseller list.

I do feel a tad better today, however, because he has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee over the Plame leak. Maybe his late conscience can still do something good for the country.

--Junichi

POPLICKS ACTIVITY CORNER FOR KIDS

Guess Who, Kids?

Hey boys and girls, can you identify the woman on the right?

That's correct! It's sexual entrepreneur-cum-R&B singer Ashley Alexandra Dupre a.k.a. Eliot Spitzer's "Kristen," soaking in the sun at a Jersey beach.

Now, kids, here is your bonus question. Can you guess the person on the left?

One of the answers below is correct:

A. Ashley's sister
B. Ashley's brother
C. Ashley's mother
D. Ashley's lawyer
E. Ashley's lover
F. Ashley's former lawyer and current lover
G. Ashley's stunt double
H. Eliot Spitzer's daughter
I. Sarah Silverman

The correct answer is in the comments.

--Junichi

VOLUME CONTROL 2

I'm not sure how somebody overlooked the possibility of inviting Oliver and me to debut our pastel handkerchief-based spoken word/ballet performance, but whatevz.

Those in the bay area should definitely check this out:

Sunday, June 15, 2008

The APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit Presents:

VOLUME CONTROL 2 - A Fundraiser for the 2009 Summit in the Bay Area
featuring performances from:
Proletariat Bronze
Aimee Suzara
Broken Halos
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Malaya Arevelo
Nate Krooks
Rodrael Guadalupe
and Youth Slam Champions Bryant Phan & Christsna Sot
with DJ shredONE
and hosts Adriel & Ruby from iLL-Literacy

6pm Doors, 7pm Show
$10-$20 sliding scale donation
All proceeds go to the 2009 APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit

co-sponsored by Apex Express 94.1FM KPFA & Youth Speaks

for more information, contact volumecntrl@gmail.com
or
log on to www.apiasummit.com

--Junichi

SO WHY NOT?

Hottie or Nottie?

As the post immediately below this one makes clear, I am not a fan of Senator Clinton.

She is a self-absorbed, dishonorable, egomaniacal, shifty, and unscrupulous beltway politician who doesn't have the moral fortitude to apologize for authorizing an unnecessary and unlawful war that has resulted in the evisceration of several hundred thousand lives.

And the nerve of some of her supporters to suggest that she has somehow "earned" the VP slot. Who has the audacity to insult a person as an inexperienced, corrupt, sexist, "secret Muslim" who might be assassinated and is the beneficiary of "reverse racism" - and then suggest that he somehow owes them anything? Like candidate, like supporters.

But all of the above is a long disclaimer to precede my current belief that Senator Clinton might be Senator Obama's best pick for Vice President.

At the very least, I believe she should be seriously considered.

Don't get me wrong. I, personally, would prefer a grip of other viable candidates over Clinton. Al Gore, for starters. (I really do think he could be persuaded.) Claire McCaskill. Russ Feingold. John Edwards. Joe Biden. General Wesley Clark. Jim Webb. Kathleen Sebelius. Jon Stewart. Even Republican Chuck Hagel would be attractive in the veep slot.

But Obama's goal should be to pick the person who will most effectively help him capture the White House. And Clinton may very well be that person who gives Obama the greatest net increase.

Sadly, I think there are currently at least a million voters who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries and will (a) vote for McCain, (b) vote for the Libertarian Party candidate, or (c) not vote in November -- before they vote for Obama.

Primary exit polls seemed to indicate that at least 10% of Clinton supporters fell into that camp. Let's say that half of those people change their minds once Clinton endorses him. If the remaining 5% of the 18 million voted for Clinton won't vote for Obama unless he chooses Clinton, that's 900,000 votes.

Are those 900,000 people ill-informed, unprincipled, or racist? No doubt. Given the similarities in their platform, a Clinton supporter who will vote for McCain over Obama is likely to be a naive ignoramus who is voting on the basis of trivial matters like flag pins or the middle name Hussein.

But you can't dismiss their numbers.

Plus, the polls strongly suggest that Clinton appeals strongly to groups like blue-collar workers and the elderly for whom Obama is apparently not an obvious choice.

If a million people transfer their vote to Obama because Clinton is his VP candidate, those voters may very well decide the fate of the election.

You might argue that this million will be canceled out by the millions more who find the idea of a black man/white woman ticket too much. But those bigots are not going to vote for a Democratic candidate anyway.

As for those of us who take issue with Clinton, we will undoubtedly recognize that she, if offered the veep slot, should not stop us from working to put Obama in the White House.

*

Although my wife (also an Obama supporter) hates this opinion of mine, I am nonetheless choosing to voice it because I seem to be in a very small minority of Obama supporters.

*

I'm not sure this debate is even necessary, however, as Clinton probably won't accept. Among other reasons, her husband will never release his list of donors and business dealings, which Obama would certainly require.

--Junichi

OBAMA CONNECTS FOUR!

I was really hoping this viral video would no longer be relevant or timely today.

But alas, Senator Clinton's speech last night was so extraordinarily ungracious that the above clip (created several days ago) has taken on new meaning in the course of a few hours.

Yesterday, at 9 am pacific time, the video was just kinda funny.

By 3 pm, when it was clear she wasn't going to concede the nomination, despite Senator Obama clearly clinching it, the video was eerily poignant.

By evening, shortly after Terry McAuliffe introduced Senator Clinton by asking the crowd, "Are you ready for the next president of the United States?" -- and precisely the moment when Senator Clinton ludicrously suggested, "the nearly 18 million people who voted for me [need] to be respected, to be heard, to be no longer invisible" -- the video became a very dark sketch about one person's horrible affliction with what psychiatrists refer to as narcissistic personality disorder.

(With thanks to AmericaBlog)

--Junichi

A CHAT WITH KEN LEUNG

the ghost whisperer
One more Lost-related post (and a self-plug). I interviewed Ken Leung earlier this spring and among other things, we talked about his role on Lost and how challenging it's been for him given his approach to acting. Leung doesn't do interviews often but I found him to be an exceptionally thoughtful and candid person to talk to. Asian Pacific Arts Magazine has the three-part interview in their new issue.

And here's one of my favorite scenes Leung's done:

--O.W.