Never underestimate the hotness of an Asian man
A little gem on PostSecret the other day made me laugh:
Thanks to Angry Asian Man for the link. As AAM says, "Never underestimate the hotness of an Asian man."
Links of the Day, January 8
News
- We're still losing jobs, but we're no longer hemorrhaging. Let's hope the trajectory holds firm.
- Portugal's parliament backs same sex marriage.
- Some might blame the TSA officer for deserting his post at Newark airport. I blame the Asian guy who breached security. As Angry Asian Man puts it so succinctly, "you're an idiot."
Sports
- Former Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira returns to the Premiership, joining Man City.
Miscellaneous
- Wanna see cute Asian kids do amazing things? You got it. And I echo Justin's sentiments.
- And here's Kylie from the PC commercials on Ellen. So freaking precious.
- Whoa: "Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm at Boston University on Asian American women and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Hahm was alarmed to find how high the rates of STDs were among Asian American women." Here's some commentary from MaSir Jones and YOMYOMF.
Links of the Day, January 7
News
- Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on development yesterday. Here's Nick Kristof's take on it.
- Still no developments on the racial violence incident at South Philadelphia High from before Christmas.
- Walmart and H&M apparently destroy unsold clothing rather than donating it. This makes me sad--H&M is one of my faves. [UPDATE: H&M put a statement on their Facebook page saying they are "committed to taking responsibility for how our operations affect both people and the environment. Our policy is to donate any damaged usable garments to charity. We're currently investigating an incident in a NY store that is not representative of our policy. We will follow with more information as soon as we are able. H&M's US sales operation donates thousands of garments each year through Gifts In Kind Int'l."
- Check out this sweet video of Priscilla Ahn, singing "Living in a Tree," which didn't make her album but was featured in a Jeep commercial. I dare you not to fall in love.
- Dawen lists his top 10 Asian-American tracks of 2009.
- Angry Asian Man previews the Lost Supper.
- 11 most painfully obvious headlines.
- More states allow marriage between first cousins than between same sex couples.
- Check out Alma, an awesome animated short about a creepy doll shop, described as "equal parts Pixar and The Twilight Zone."
"Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)" – Taiyo Na
Thanks to Angry Asian Man for the tip, to Taiyo for a great song, and Gary San Angel for a great video.
The Conclusion of Deadly Viper
The Deadly Viper site is down and Zondervan, the publishers, issued the following letter:
November 19, 2009
Zondervan Statement Regarding Concerns Voiced About "Deadly Viper: Character Assassins"
From Moe Girkins, President and CEO
Hello and thanks for your patience.
On behalf of Zondervan, I apologize for publishing Deadly Viper: Character Assassins. It is our mission to offer products that glorify Jesus Christ. This book's characterizations and visual representations are offensive to many people despite its otherwise solid message.
There is no need for debate on this subject. We are pulling the book and the curriculum in their current forms from stores permanently.
We have taken the criticism and advice we have received to heart. In order to avoid similar episodes in the future, last week I named Stan Gundry as our Editor-in-Chief of all Zondervan products. He will be responsible for making the necessary changes at Zondervan to prevent editorial mistakes like this going forward. We already have begun a dialogue with Christian colleagues in the Asian-American community to deepen our cultural awareness and sensitivity.
Zondervan is committed to publishing Christian content and resources that uplift God and see humanity in its proper perspective in relation to God. We take seriously our call to provide resources that encourage spiritual growth. And, we know there is more to learn by always listening to our critics as well as our advocates.
It would be unfair to take these actions without expressing our love and support for the authors of this book, Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. Both gentlemen are gifted writers and passionate about their ministry. We do believe their message is valuable and plan to work with the authors to come up with a better presentation of that message. We will jointly ensure we do our due diligence on the appropriateness of the creative side. This will include reaching out to a broad spectrum of cultural experts.
Finally, I want to personally thank Professor Rah, Ken Fong, Eugene Cho and Kathy Khang for their input and prayers during this discussion. We appreciate everyone's concern and effort and look forward to working together for God's kingdom.
Warmly,
Moe
Wow ... thanks to Zondervan and the authors for their humility and graciousness as well as their apology, and also to Soong-Chan Rah, Eugene Cho, Ken Fong and Kathy Khang for their advocacy and eloquence in representation. Way to go, Church! (Although, reading some of the comments on those blogs, I'm struck by how much more work needs to happen within the Church ...)
Check out more coverage--actually, a lot of it's the same--on the aforementioned's blogs, as well as on Angry Asian Man.