Harold Koh Supreme Court

Source: Huffington Post

This nomination to replace Justice Stevens -- a staunch liberal on the court for 35 years -- can be more important than health care, the recovery bill and financial reform combined. That's why President Obama shouldn't just nominate someone who Republicans deem acceptable -- he should nominate someone that progressives would be proud to fight for.

That's why we need Harold Koh.

The son of first-generation immigrants from South Korea, Koh would be the first Asian-American nominated to the Supreme Court -- and his credentials speak for themselves. The former dean of Yale Law School and a renowned expert in international law, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights & Labor under President Clinton and is currently Legal Adviser to the State Department. In an increasingly global era where knowledge of international law will be crucial on the Court, Koh is the strongest candidate from this field and would also be the first Justice to hold such expertise. Beyond his roles at the State Department, Koh also worked in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department under President Reagan.

FAIL. You CAN NOT start a defense of any position with race. We need Harold Koh because he would be the first Asian-American nominated.. blah blah. That's stupid.

Asians needs to stop looking at people through race. Forget that he's Asian. He's the best candidate because he's the best candidate and make your argument starting there.

This is the argument
We need Harold Koh because...

1. Worked as an attorney-adviser to the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the United States Department of Justice under Reagan.

2. Koh was nominated by President Clinton to become Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

3. Author of several books, including The National Security Constitution: Sharing Power after the Iran-Contra Affair (Yale University Press,1990); Transnational Legal Problems (with Harry Steiner and Detlev Vagts, Foundation Press, 1994); Deliberative Democracy and Human Rights (with Ronald C. Slye, Yale University Press, 1999); and Transnational Litigation in United States Courts (Foundation Press 2008). He has also written over 175 law review articles and legal editorials.

Stuff like that. As an Asian writer Mr. Chi, make an argument for an Asian without mentioning he's Asian and the argument will go much further. Starting a defense with.. He's ASIAN and will make HISTORY immediately draws the reader to that fact and undermines the rest of the article. Someone who doesn't like racial profiling will read that first sentence and conclude "Another fucking Asian supporting someone because they're a fucking Asian."

Takeout from Y.E. Yang

Source: Deadspin

I'm not sure the joke is as bad as it is old. Come on guy, you're an established writer and you resort to toilet humour? And then the next time you see Yang and he doesn't want to talk to you, you'll cry about it in the paper as Yang being a jerk eh?

Perhaps Yang should hit him with the BIG trophy he won last year.

How bout not being so sensitive!

Source: StarTribune

I'm not important enough to warrant a beer summit. But I did get a bottle of water out of the deal.

Last week, as the rest of the country tried to forget the unpleasant confrontation between Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police officer James Crowley, I had my own Gates-Crowley moment.

I went to Fridley to interview the president of a large manufacturing company. I arrived a few minutes before noon and told the receptionist at the front desk I was looking for the president's executive assistant.

"Oh. Are you delivering food?" she asked.

Oh, no, she didn't!

It wasn't the first time I was mistaken for a Chinese food delivery guy. In college, I had arrived at my girlfriend's dorm with dinner and the front desk dude assumed just that. I was embarrassed, to be sure, but let it go. That's the burden of being a Chinese-American with a penchant for baseball caps, jeans and takeout food.

Yet the receptionist's inquiry stunned me. I was wearing a dress shirt, black slacks and black dress shoes. True, I was sporting a backpack and sunglasses, but how many food delivery guys whip out kung pao chicken from a Gap bag?

After realizing her error, the receptionist offered a rather clumsy explanation. "I only asked because [the executive assistant] always orders food," she said.

Nice try, lady. Someone's not getting a Christmas card this year.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. At least she didn't speak extra slowly and offer a tip.

As I drove back to the office, chugging the bottle of water the company had given me, I chuckled to myself. I wasn't too upset. The receptionist seemed way more embarrassed than I was.

But then I told the story to friends and colleagues. I expected them to laugh and sympathize. Instead they offered several explanations, everything except what seemed obvious to me.

Yeah it's only obvious to you cause you're damn sensitive.

And why were you embarassed? You got something against delivery workers that you feel EMBARASSED to be called one? Many people start out working in Chinese restaurants. Entire families are supported by one delivery guy job. You should be ashamed.

Last I checked secretaries are quite busy and they're not going to notice everything. Let's say her boss ordered Chinese food, so she's just asking if this is food. If the delivery guy walked in and she mistakened him for the journalist, do you think he would be as upset as you?

Secretaries deal with hundreds of people a day plus a bazillion phone lines. So she thought you were someone you're not.. boohoo. She apologized for it. If it were me, I would have just ignored it, but instead you made a person feel bad for a mistake, hope you're proud of yourself.

This whining is newsworthy? Some newspaper editor accepted this? This isn't journalism. This is something a little blog like mine would write about!

Not everything is racist you know.

Jet Li, Jackie Chan and others in 'Founding' film

Zhang Ziyi appears as a schoolgirl that catches the eye of Mao Zedong :)

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Top Chinese and Hong Kong actors will appear in a film depicting the founding of the People's Republic of China, China Film Group head Han Sanping said at a press conference this week.

"The Great Cause of the Country's Founding" ("Jian Guo Da Ye"), also directed by Han, will star Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Tang Guoqiang and Zhang Guoli.

The film focuses on the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949, and is set for release in China on Sept. 17, and Hong Kong around Sept. 20. It may also get a screening in Taiwan, thanks to the recent warming in ties between the two sides.

China celebrates the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, under the Chinese Communist Party, on October 1 this year.

This is a poorly writen article with no research at all. To promote a movie as a Jackie Chan and Jet Li starred movie is absolutely false advertising. Amazing how some 'journalists' can write garbage and still have jobs.

Looking at the imdb entry, major stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan will just be cameos. Jet Li's character has about 3 lines of dialogues while Jackie's character has no dialogue.

I still want to see it cause the Chinese Civil War has always interested me and I want to see how distorted the facts will be to celebrate the communist victory.

Playing 'spot the celeb' will be a bonus :)