DROPPING KNOWLEDGE: CHINESE HISTORY

Holy forbidden city, I must have missed this lecture in the Chinese History class I took my sophomore year that was taught by a archetypal college professor who wore tweed blazers and would puff on a tobacco pipe during class:

"The emperor chose his night companion from nameplates presented to him by a eunuch," says Yuan. A high-ranking eunuch, the Chief of the Imperial Bedchamber, would remove the woman's clothes to ensure that she carried no weapons or poisons, roll her up in a quilt and carry her on his back through the courtyards to the emperor.

[...]

Passions and ambitions stewed in this world within a world. In Chinese lore, more than 200 concubines died on the orders of the 16th-century emperor Shizong. Seeking to end their misery, 16 members of his harem stole into his bedchamber one night to strangle him with a silken cord and stab him with a hairpin. The emperor lost an eye in the struggle, but the empress saved his life. Court executioners then tore the limbs from the concubines and displayed their severed heads on poles.

To read more...click here.

BRUNCH: BEST OF

Its been decided: Even if it is for assholes, the best brunch in NYC is Miriam (after Norma's of course...). I'm going to make it easy for you and tell you the address, how to get there, and what to order:

Miriam

79 Fifth Ave at Propsect Pl.

Brooklyn, NY 

Order: Mediterranean crispy dough served with two eggs and Sparkling raspberry lemonade

(Manhattanities: It's easy to get to and well worth the short subway ride)

"NO BILLY, THE MIDDLE FINGER IS NOT FUNNY"

Ah...the precociousness of childhood and youth:

Also, contrary to the poster behind the kids that says "Colors" I do have to point out (because Mrod is the ever race conscious blogga from Alaska) that this is the whitest classroom I've ever seen.  Where the heck is this school?  Katy, Texas?

I blogged this other class photo a long time ago in my old blog on Xanga, but here it is again for memories sake.  I know some of my long time readers REALLY liked this photo:

MAGIC TRICK JUXTAPOSITION

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEB50IfgkA4] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1asiTbXwcc]

AND THE WINNER IS....

The answer to this question is:

The Economist,

Smithsonian Magazine,

Blogging,

and

Cold medicine.

GOOD ARTICLE: ANTI ASIAN AMERICAN BACKLASH ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

The Angry Asian Man brought my attention to a well written article that does a great job of outlining the unique problems and challenges faced by Asian American students today on all college campuses from the elites, such as Princeton to the state schools like most recently at University of Colorado where the pretense of "satire" has provided an oft convenient vehicle for attacking Asian American classmates with racial stereotypes, images, and symbols. While browsing through the reader comments for some of these essays, I found this to be the most frequent response from defenders: B-b-but First Amendment! I feel that when these people first learned about our constitution, they listened to only the first five minutes of the lecture and then left class or fell asleep. And afterwards, never ever took another history, political science or government class again.

Imagine for a minute if student leaders at elite college campuses devoted themselves to mocking black people or Jewish people or gay people. I’m not talking about drunk students posting pictures of their offensive parties on Facebook, but student newspaper editors – thought of as being both smart and progressive – giving space over for the sole purpose of making fun of people because of their background. It’s hard to imagine. And yet recently this phenomenon of racial caricatures as “satire” has emerged with Asian Americans as the object of the jokes.

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GATTACA

So "Gattaca" is one of my favorite movies. It's one of those films that I wonder why isn't more popular and that I wish I would see more on TV instead of "The Mummy" for the 208th time. Did you know that:

The original ending of the film featured images of people who may have never been born if we'd had genetic testing: people like Albert Einstein (dyslexia) , Abraham Lincoln (Marfan syndrome), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (asthma) and John F. Kennedy (Addison's disease) were shown over a background of stars with their afflictions listed. It then ends with the statement "Of course, the other birth that may never have taken place is your own." People in test screenings said it made them feel inadequate.

I would also like to add to the roll call above: Matthew Rodriguez (Allergy to cat hair and bad eyesight).

More Gattaca factoids here. Nerds say what. What?

WOMAN ATTACKED BY MAN ON HIS WAY TO ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASS

27 year old Justin John Boudin was on his way to his anger management class when at the bus stop he felt that he wasn't getting properly respected (Dude, you're taking a bus in Minnesota to an anger management class...what's there to respect?) by a 59 year old woman.  When she tries to call the cops on him for harassing her, he punches her.

THE EXPLANATION FOR MY WEIRD FRIDAY NIGHT

Woke up this morning.  Continued to ponder events of the previous night.  "Eureka!"  I realized yesterday was Feb. 29, a leap day.

SATURDAY NIGHT PLANS

Bottles at Hiro or Delancey or Smithsonian Magazine and the Economist?

REDISCOVERED AND OPENED PANDORA

Pandora.com is fantastic, especially when the iPod battery dies.

A CONVERSATION

L: I saw the German last night. Mrod: Did he deutsch you?

Mrod: Damn, nasty.

L: LOLOL.

MROD IS AN AMERICAN HERO

I'm a uniter.  I'm also an involuntary firefighter. Tonight at a bar I put out a girl's hair that caught on fire.  People, yes: smacking the flame does indeed put out the fire.  Also, the bar was also a local firefighter hangout with FDNY stuff all over the walls.  Don't ever underestimate the 5' 10'' skinny Asian guy.

Aside from my good samaritan deed, there are also couple hidden benefits to putting out a girl's hair that caught on fire.

1. The cute brunette sitting across from you sees a man of action.

1.1.  Heck, cute brunette sitting across from you notices you.

2.  Putting out a girl's hair that caught on fire becomes a GREAT ice breaker when later talking to aforementioned brunette and her friends.

3. Stay tuned for update on the brunette Mrod met thanks to a hair that caught on fire.

APROPOS:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_hY80oaQWE]

FREESTYLE FRIDAYS FEAT: HOMEBOY SANDMAN

I went through a period in my life where I used to watch BET 106 and Park regularly and... I don't care who you are, but you HAD to give it up to my man Jin when on BET freestyle fridays he destroyed all those phony challengers. Seriously, watch these clips to see what's called "running the table" as he straight slays all these cats one after the other. Also, note how he wins the initially skeptical crowd over week after week--who were all too stupid to keep coming at him with the Chinaman jokes (What's wrong with ya'll? It's the 21st mofo century). Unfortunately the above videos don't capture the last few battles where he gets better and better, and by the last battle the crowd is outright mocking the pathetic roadkill challenger. Anyway, back to the point of this entry. Watch this clip of my friend's friend freestyle for like 9 minutes non-stop. It takes me 9 minutes to just write a haiku so...

MY HIGH SCHOOL REUNION KEEPING IT CLASSY

Sunday

"Picnic at local park. Children welcome. Subway 6 footers will be available. Please bring any other food and drinks you would like. 12pm."

How can I resist the Subway?  Better buy my plane ticket, put in for my vacation time, and book the hotel room!

GARFIELD HYSTERICAL WITHOUT...GARFIELD

I never quite found Garfield all that funny or amusing.  Even as a seven year old learning to speak English I found it very uncouth and provincial in some way.  At least Peanuts, which I never enjoyed too much, had some pace or ambience. Stripped of that obnoxious cat I find Garfield pretty humorous.  Garfield sans Garfield becomes almost a visual koan or a comic rorschach test that provides enlightenment of some sort, or as the website states: "Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb."  Gawd, that is a genius observation: He was totally bugged out on meth...

SALVAGE MERCENARIES

This is a fascinating Wired article about the for-hire salvage team that saved the Cougar Ace a listed transport ship holding 4,703 Mazda cars with a total estimated value of $103 million.  These salvage companies fly all over the world competing to win the right to save dead cargo ships, not necessarily out of goodwill but because if their efforts are successful, it can be goddamn lucrative.  Very dangerous, but very financially rewarding.

Salvage work has long been viewed as a form of legal piracy. The insurers of a disabled ship with valuable cargo will offer from 10 to 70 percent of the value of the ship and its cargo to anyone who can save it. If the salvage effort fails, they don't pay a dime. It's a risky business: As ships have gotten bigger and cargo more valuable, the expertise and resources required to mount a salvage effort have steadily increased. When a job went bad in 2004, Titan ended up with little more than the ship's bell as a souvenir. Around the company's headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, it's known as the $11.6 million bell.

But the rewards have grown as well. When the Titan team refloated that container ship in Mexico, the company was offered $30 million, and it's holding out for more. That kind of money finances staging grounds in southern Florida, England, and Singapore and pays the salaries of 45 employees who drive Lotuses, BMWs, and muscle cars tricked out with loud aftermarket DynoMax exhaust systems. There's also a wall at Titan headquarters with a row of photos of the men who died on the job. Three have been killed in the past three years.

To read rest...click here.

MUSIC VIDEO: MAGIC SYSTEM

Cy sent me this music video and it's simply joyous. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpFRbFLoaO4]

MOTIVATIONAL TRUTH SPOOFS

Sure most of these are sophomoric, but don't act like you haven't laughed at a knock-knock or scatologic joke lately. This image should really literally be in every dictionary next to the word 'fear.'

It's like he's one of those Russian nesting dolls.

And my favorite:

It's true.  Sneaky, sneaky alcoholic ninjas.

More here.

TEAM OBAMA

Mike linked to a really fascinating article from the New Republic that does a great job of cutting through the smokescreen of people dismissing Obama's candidacy as mere lofty words that lacks backbone and a foundation.  Instead, when examining the foreign policy wonks and economic oracles guiding Obama's platform, the picture that emerges after the proverbial credentials, degrees, and publications, is a team distinct for as the article states, this: The Obamanauts are decidedly non-ideological.  Whichever way your political leanings bend you should read this article. Kaizar and Co. at Newstrust has more.