04.15.08
Posted in Offbeat at 9:57 am by william_lee_intern
A Japanese fishing fleet is expected to return from its latest expedition having killed just over half its target number of whales. The 8,000-tonne Nisshin Maru factory ship and five other whaling vessels were due to dock in Japan last night after returning from the Antarctic laden with the meat from 551 minke whales caught during a four-month “research” voyage which was repeatedly targeted by animal rights activists.
Click here for the original article
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04.09.08
Posted in Activism and Empowerment, Fashion, Offbeat, Business at 10:35 am by jj_de_la_cruz
Just look at the expression on this guy’s face. He doesn’t need this T-shirt to look like a douchebag, but it sure completes the ensemble.
If you want to be a racist douchebag just like him, call toll-free: 1-877-BUSTED-3 (1-877-287-8333).
All phone calls paid for by Bustedtees.com, so ring them to your heart’s content.
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12.20.07
Posted in Culture, Media and Entertainment, Sexuality, Offbeat at 6:54 pm by telly_wong
Nuts in her mouth: I guess she’s straight after all
This past Tuesday saw the long-awaited finale of MTV’s “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila”, the trashy “reality” dating show that featured 16 straight men and 16 lesbians vying for the elfin hand of the supposedly bisexual professional MySpace friend Tila Tequila.
After two months (which I’m guessing took a mere two weeks to actually film) of hot tub shenanigans, crocodile tears and lesbian kisses, Tila’s final two contenders were a white guy named Bobby and a white lesbian named Dani. Perhaps following in the great tradition of well-worn interracial dating paradigms, Tila chose Bobby.
Maybe I’m being naive here but since she’s “bisexual”, couldn’t she have just picked both?
I’m not gonna get started on why this show sucks because I’m sure many of you already know. It was bad enough that none of the male suitors appeared to be Asian (for the politically correct, if one of them happened to be half or a quarter or an eighth or a sixteenth Asian, they certainly didn’t look it, and, unfortunately, that’s what counts when we’re discussing media representation), but as someone with a young sister, I’m concerned about the message “Shot” sends to the young people of America: Asian women are sexually promiscuous playthings.
Unfortunately, instead of being a pimple on my ass that will soon go away, this Tila Tequila phenomenon looks like it’s developed into a full-blown anal fissure that’s gonna stick around. The show was a ratings smash, according to an MTV press release, that averaged 6 million viewers per episode and was MTV’s second highest-rated telecast of the year. More alarming, however, was the series finale was the most watched telecast across all of television among 12 to 34 year olds.
Now call me an old fart, but as a concerned adult, should early adolescent kids be exposed to theatrical bisexual antics (as opposed to a real lifestyle) at a time when many are still developing and/or exploring their sexual identity?
My other beef with the Tila Tequila show is that it continues to reinforce the American public’s narrow perception of who Asian folks are and what we’re all about in American society.
While some idiots will point to VH1’s own trashy “reality” dating show “I Love New York” as an example of mass media’s colorblindness when it comes to the stereotype-affirming exploitation of minorities, there are some major differences. For every New York, Mo’Nique and Chris Tucker, there is a Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. In other words, there is an arguable balance and the Average Joe’s perspective is ultimately left to their own common sense.
Unfortunately, for us yeller skins, the decision makers in Hollywood don’t feel the same obligation to provide a wider definition of our community. Therefore, when we’re given a mainstream platform, like Ms. Tequila, we shouldn’t squander it by acting like a jackass and pandering to the Oriental sexual fantasies of the Western male.
But then again, maybe I’m asking too much of Ms Tequila. After all, this is a woman who makes a living dry-humping cars in her underwear.
– Telly Wong
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12.09.07
Posted in Crime, Offbeat at 6:20 pm by telly_wong
He Thinks He’s Turning Japanese:
Convicted Murderer and Imaginary Ninja Master Steven Sakai
In New York, a former strip club bouncer who was obsessed with Japanese culture –particularly sword fighting and ninjas– was convicted last Friday of murdering two people in 2005.
The bouncer, born Steven Sanders, was apparently so smitten by the Land of the Rising Sun that he even changed his last name to the Japanese surname “Sakai”.
But here’s where things get really wacky: During his testimony, Sakai adopted a thick Japanese accent, which included mispronouncing his L’s and R’s. This is despite the fact that Sakai was born in Queens and has never left the country.
Perhaps an inspiration for Mr. Sakai?
Nevertheless, Sakai’s bizarre behavior left many in the courtroom baffled, with lawyers, stenographers, clerks and officers debating about the authenticity of the accent and wondering why his mother didn’t share it. There were also plans to test Sakai’s knowledge of Japanese, which were later abandoned.
During his testimony, Sakai claimed the police injected him with drugs and that he also took secret flights overseas to compete in martial arts tournaments.
After years of enduring Asian kids “acting Black”, I guess it’s refreshing to see someone from the African American community returning the love.
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12.06.07
Posted in Crime, Offbeat at 2:47 am by telly_wong
For as long as I remember, I would always lock the bedroom door before I went to sleep. This may have a lot to do with the psychological scarring my pop inflicted upon me when I was five after he took me to see the Charles Bronson movie 10 to Midnight. The movie was about a serial killer who liked to strip naked and then brutally murder young women, by the way.
These days, when my folks stay over, my mom always chides me for keeping up this little habit of mine. She thinks I’m paranoid and immature. For a while, I thought she may have a point.
And then I came across this little story:
In Hong Kong, a woman who repeatedly stabbed and strangled a friend while sleepwalking was released from prison last Thursday after being cleared of attempted murder.
Thirty-year-old Zheng Wei-dong was found not guilty of trying to kill her friend after a jury decided she had been in a state of “insane automatism” when she attacked her friend. Psychiatrists testified Zheng had fallen asleep and acted out a violent dream when she wandered into the room of her friend last December and attacked her, saying: “I am the devil and I am killing you.”
After repeatedly stabbing her friend’s neck, almost severing the jugular vein, Zheng then tried to smother her with a pillow. Zheng’s lawyer brilliantly argued that his client posed very little threat to society.
If only Zheng’s friend had just LOCKED THE GODDAMN DOOR!
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11.29.07
Posted in Media and Entertainment, Offbeat at 9:14 am by telly_wong
Manson: Sick or just misunderstood?
Seems like everybody’s adopting a Chinese kid these days — even Marilyn Manson.
The shock rocker is apparently the proud owner of the skeleton of a Chinese child — and his keyboardist isn’t happy.
Manson is being sued by band member Stephen “Pogo” Bier for squandering the band’s fortunes on “sick and disturbing” purchases, which includes the aforementioned skeleton, masks made of human skin, a stuffed grizzly bear and two baboons — some of which are considered illegal in the United States. Oh, you think?
Responding to the lawsuit on MTV, Manson said, “I would never spend my money on a Chinese girl skeleton. That would be crossing the line. It’s a Chinese boy, for the record.”
“Pogo” is seeking damages and legal fees from Manson as well as his share of the band’s profits.
The skeleton hasn’t yet been identified and there is no word on how or from whom Manson purchased the human remains.
I guess this is what happens when Britney Spears doesn’t adopt you.
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