Tony Taguba and the Truth About Abu Ghraib
June 29, 2007
The week after boldly ending his silence on Abu Ghraib in a New Yorker interview, Antonio Taguba was in San Francisco last Sunday, dressed casually in an open-neck shirt and blue jeans, overshadowed by the New York Yankees and the Gay Pride Parade. Read more
Pre-Teen Dynamite Duo Challenge CBS Survivor and Radio Host
June 29, 2007
With balls capable of traveling 69 miles per hour, 11-year-old table tennis players Lily Zhang and Ariel Hsing had Yau-Man Chan of CBS Survivor Fiji exclaiming, “My pride is at stake!” alongside doubles partner Ed Baxter of KGO-AM 810 as they played at an exhibition in San Francisco.
The June 19 lunchtime match promoted the upcoming World Junior Table Tennis Championships at Stanford University in December, where more than 30 countries will compete.
The 2012 Olympic hopefuls Hsing and Zhang are the United States’ number one and number two female table tennis players under age 15.
Doubles Baxter and Chan put up a good fight against the powerhouses, who won the first game 11-8 with fierce agility, tenacity and speed.
During the second match Baxter felt a sense of achievement as he and his teammate scored two or sometimes three points in a row. “Look, they’re nervous,” he said to his partner as Hsing whispered a strategy to Zhang. Baxter’s hope was squashed as the girls won again 11-7.
Chan, a member of the USA Table Tennis Association, said, “I knew them when they were little, 6 or 7, barely able to hit the ball. Within a year they were beating me. They progressed so fast.”
Stefan Feth, retired German pro table tennis player and one of the girls’ many coaches, widened his eyes and said of the girls’ talent: “I have never seen something like that in Europe.”
“At this age, it’s really amazing how good they can play already,” he added.
Before the event, the girls rallied with Feth and Baxter, demonstrating back hands and foot drills. When the ball ricocheted off Baxter’s rear end, he said, “It’s the biggest part of my body,” to the crowd’s laughter.
When Hsing was seven, her mother, who played table tennis, couldn’t find a babysitter; she took her daughter along to the club, and Ariel has been playing ever since.
Zhang’s parents encouraged her to play at 6 years old, but she took some convincing. “I thought ‘what the heck is that? It’s weird,’” she admits, “Then I tried it, and I really liked it.”
The girls, members of the Palo Alto Table Tennis Club, train for 13 to 15 hours each week. Hsing, who resides in San Jose, aspires to be world champion. Even with training periodically ending at 1 a.m., she managed to achieve the President’s Award for academic excellence.
When Hsing was seven, her mother, who played table tennis, couldn’t find a babysitter; she took her daughter along to the club and Ariel has been playing ever since then.
Zhang’s parents encouraged her to play at 6 years old. “I thought it was a really weird sport at first. I thought ‘what the heck is that? It’s weird.’ I never really knew that sport. It wasn’t really big big I guess,” she admits, “and then I tried it and I really liked it.”
Recently turning 11 years old, Zhang lives in Palo Alto and likes to go biking and swimming in her spare time. She has traveled to South Africa, China and Canada to compete in tournaments.
Hsing played with billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates this year at Buffett’s 75th birthday bash. She described them as both “really nice,” “really down to earth,” and “really friendly.” She thought the experience was “really cool.”
After all, no matter how intimidating they may be with paddles in hand, they are still only 11 years old; on Hsing’s inner forearm is her motto, written before each game in black permanent marker: “Let Go Have Fun.”
Let’s Be Frank: Hot Dog Eaters are No Weenies
June 29, 2007
Fifteen of America’s finest competitive eaters traveled to Cinemark Theaters – Century 20 in Daly City in an effort to win the title of California Hot Dog-Eating Champion.
In the spirit of gurgitation, the eaters donned shirts parodying the traditional Uncle Sam slogan: apparently in the world of competitive eats, the Uncle wants you… to eat a giant hotdog!
This year’s contest winner was seventh-ranked Rich “The Locust” LeFevre, champion of both spam and birthday cake eating. A former Bay Area resident and senior citizen who routinely out-eats gurgitators twice his size and half his age, LeFevre faced competitors like Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane, “El Toro” Jimenez, “Krammin” Kevin Ross, as well as newcomer Bert Chi.
Chi is a native of San Francisco and recently joined the competitive circuit; the Daly City qualifying contest was his first competition.
“When I was younger, I used to eat a lot,” Chi said. “I’ve always enjoyed eating, and I’ve always eaten really fast.”
The contest was an official qualifying round of Nathan’s famous worldwide hot dog-eating circuit. After consuming 21 jumbo dogs to take first place, LeFevre will now represent the United States in the 92nd Annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog-Eating Contest on July 4 in Coney Island, New York.
Chi’s hot dog consumption for the day was eight (he claimed he ate 12 in a trial run), and it was clear that he was struggling when the emcee remarked in jest, “Bert Chi, how are you feelin’? Bert has slowed down to sort of a free lunch situation.”
Chi mentioned the hot dogs eaten in this particular competition were jumbo dogs, larger than those used in most competitions. “I still had four minutes [left], but I hit the wall,” he said of his performance. “You get to a point where you can’t eat anymore. I tried to get one or two dogs in the last four minutes, but I ended up just chillin’.”
Chi’s preparation for the hotdog showdown consisted of eating celery, lettuce, cabbage, and other greenery, plus drinking lots of water, to safely expand the stomach. He did this and ate bigger meals for about a week and a half. The day before the competition, he did not eat anything at all.
Competitive eating is not limited to hot dogs, though these are the most iconic items on the menu. All kinds of foods are put into competition by a group that organizes and sanctions not unlike a sports federation. The world of competitive eating is a rapidly growing spectator sport: in 2006, 30,000 fans crowded the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island to witness the match-up between Takeru Kobayashi of Japan and Joey Chestnut of California. An additional 1.5 million households tuned in to the contest’s live broadcast on ESPN. Chestnut ate an astounding 52 Nathan’s Hot Dogs and Buns in the 12-minute contest, nearly dethroning Kobayashi who ate 53.75 hot dogs and buns and secured his sixth straight title. Earlier this month Chestnut shattered Kobayashi’s record, downing 59.5 hot dogs and refueling hope that the Mustard Yellow International Belt will soon return to American shores.
The Fourth of July contest will also be a highly anticipated event for Asian American fans. There are three Asian American competitors who have qualified for the Nathan’s final — Kobayashi and Sonya Thomas, both well known among competitive eating fans, and Juliet Lee, a relative newcomer on the eating circuit.
Perhaps it was the upset stomach, but Chi was reflective about his future in competitive eating: “I really wanted to try this at least once in my lifetime; but all in all, I know that this is definitely not healthy in the long haul.”
Letters to the Editor
June 29, 2007
Ed Jew Reaction
It certainly appears that another agenda is being played out here (”Voices from the Community: Jew Case Reveals Racism,” June 22). Strange that Ed Jew fought against the sewer-rate hike, and then we see that his father’s property had an unusually high water bill. Perhaps a water leak or perhaps a vengeful water department.
Rick Wong
Via e-mail
Raymond Mah, what alternate universe are you living in? You make all of us look stupid when you make specious claims about racism that are utterly laughable.
George Kuboaa
Via e-mail Read more
Anime TV Podcast
June 29, 2007
The Internet is full of anime-related podcasts. Many are done from the bedrooms of zealous otaku, but as any podhead knows, it’s hard to find good quality podcast programming. Anyone who likes anime should check out Anime TV, hosted by former Power Ranger and current anime voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch. Read more
Obama Apologizes For Indian American Memo Gaffe
June 29, 2007
SNOW JOB: Wondering whom the GOP might want to face among Democratic White House wannabes in ‘08″ Last week, White House spokesperson Tony Snow came to the defense of Democratic contender Barack Obama, when a reporter asserted that Indian Americans have been “very angry that Senator [Barack] Obama and his campaign has [sic] been calling the Indian American community taboo and other names.” An Obama campaign staff memo criticized Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) for support from Indian Americans and companies doing business in India. The document mocked her as “Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab),” as in the Democrat representing Punjab. Snow downplayed Obama’s role in the anti-Hillary Clinton memo: “Not to be holding a brief for Senator Obama, but I don’t believe that he made comments of that sort. I do believe that was a staff comment for which he issued apologies.” Read more
True Americans
June 29, 2007
Heroes are often made during times of war, but not all heroes are forged in the violence of combat. Asian and Pacific Islander American soldiers fighting in Iraq have demonstrated their courage and patriotism to our nation. Hundreds have lost their lives, and thousands more have suffered injury on the battlefield. Read more
Chen Pushes Chinese Culture as Reality
June 29, 2007
The Chinese Culture Center has undergone many changes in the past few years. Aside from a facilities renovation, the center now has a new executive director, Sabina Chen.
Chen came to Chinatown and the nonprofit world through a position as a grant writer at Chinese for Affirmative Action in 1999. Read more
The Birth of Chinatown 90210
June 29, 2007
Shortly after I graduated from college and moved to Los Angeles in the mid-90s, I started taking playwriting classes at East West Players, the oldest and most distinguished Asian Pacific American theater.
Most of my fellow classmates were like me: young, passionate and determined to become writers and artists who would embody the next generation of voices for the APA community. More than 10 years later, most of those future writers have moved on to other pursuits. This is a tough business, and at some point many just give up. Read more
Town Hall Meetings Mark 25 Years Since Vincent Chin’s Murder
June 29, 2007
Marking the 25th anniversary of Vincent Chin’s murder this month, a series of town halls on hate crimes are taking place in 14 cities during June and July. The events are organized by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, in partnership with leading civil rights, advocacy and media groups.
“The Vincent Chin case represents the start of a pan-Asian movement, and we’re excited to bring together so many of the key players back then and today,” said Curtis Chin, a board member of APAs for Progress. Read more
Asian American Corporate Women Taking Care of Business
June 29, 2007
Last Tuesday, Asian Women in Business held a panel discussion, entitled “Born to Lead: Corporate Women Trailblazers,” at New York City’s Time Warner Center. Over 150 Asian businesswomen, and a few men, heard stories about race and gender relations at work, dealing with male-dominated industries, climbing the corporate ladder, and the balance between work and family from four of the nation’s foremost businesswomen and CNN correspondent Alina Cho, who also moderated the event.
Affirmative Action for Dating
June 29, 2007
Some people seem to think that everything would be in balance if we only smashed racism. But if we look at factors in dating imbalances, what we need is affirmative action in dating, not just pretending to be colorblind. What does American culture value in our guys and gals, and does it give Asian women an edge?
While Japanese fashion values “kawaii” (cute), Americans buy Cosmo mags with a cover set to “stun” and 15 unusual ways to satisfy or be satisfied by your man. Recently, the Wall Street Journal wrote that as the Japanese diet has evolved, young Japanese women have developed proportions closer to the Western Barbie ideal and adopted more provocative figure-fitting fashions. In contrast to our guys, Asian women are well – represented among beauty queens and TV news anchors. Read more
