Editor in Chief Harry Mok wrote about growing up on a Chinese vegetable farm for the second issue of Hyphen and has been a volunteer editor since 2004. As a board member of the San Francisco and New York chapters of the Asian American Journalists Association, Harry has recruited and organized events for student members. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was also a graduate student instructor in the Asian American Studies Department. Harry currently works as an editor and writer in the communications department of the University of California Office of the President. He’s spent most of his career as an editor and writer for media outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Newsday and the Associated Press.
Harry Mok
On the road, all hotels are American
Some hotels and motels along the nation's highways are posting signs that say "American owned" in an apparent backlash to rising competition from innkeepers who are South Asian.
Hyphen Transit Issue moves out
The Transit Issue of Hyphen hit newsstands and mailboxes this week. This is the 12th issue of Hyphen and the last under co-founder and Editor in Chief Melissa Hung. I'm taking over as interim editor in chief with Issue 13.
A Taste of Aloha
Hawaiian food is making a big splash on the mainland.
WHILE THE MAINLAND doesn't offer the same tropical beaches, emerald rain forests or aloha spirit, it's becoming easier to get a taste of Hawaii while stateside.
Food from Hawaii can be found in metropolitan areas across the mainland, with the plate lunch, ubiquitous in the Aloha State, coming to a strip mall near you.
Simpsons 7-Eleven Apu promos criticized
As part of its publicity blitz for The Simpsons Movie, several 7-Elevens around the country have been turned into Kwik-E-Marts, just like the ones run by Apu, the Indian American store owner from the animated TV show.
Sarah Gore marries Bill Lee, so what?
Al, Tipper and the happy couple.
Al Gore's daughter, Sarah, married businessman Bill Lee over the weekend in Los Angeles. She's the former VP's kid, and by celebrity news standards, this event was pretty unremarkable. But, the new hubby is, at least from the pictures, Asian American.
Not so Secret Asian Man: comic gets syndication
Tak Toyoshima's Secret Asian Man comic strip is being picked up by United Features, which will distribute it to daily newspapers around the world.
Satellite Channel Tries Asian American MYX
The MYX, a new channel from the Phillippines' ABS-CBN network, is the latest attempt to conquer the elusive Asian American television audience.
Lisa Ling Marries Doctor
TV personality Lisa Ling married her "Doctor McDreamy," Paul Song, on Sunday.
Kenneth Eng arrested
Former AsianWeek columnist Kenneth Eng was arrested and jailed last week on harrassment and assault charges.
Yau-Man Chan doesn't survive, Yul Kwon on CNN
Just a quick note to say Yau-Man Chan, one of the favorites to win Survivor: Fiji, got voted out in the final episode. My colleague Chuck Barney describes the episode here. In other Survivor news, previous winner Yul Kwon has a gig on CNN.
CBS fires <em>Dog House With JV & Elvis </em> shock jocks
Two New York radio show hosts were fired for airing a prank call to a Chinese restaurant in which the caller ordered "shrimp flied lice," claimed he was a student of kung fu, and compared menu items to employees' body parts.
Kenneth Eng Takes Credit for Virginia Tech Shootings
In a YouTube posting, Kenneth Eng, the former AsianWeek columnist says the Virginia Tech shootings were the "funniest thing" he'd ever read about.
Virginia Tech shootings Bring Out Stereotypes
It was pointed out to me the other night that I’m a living, breathing embodiment of the stereotypical quiet Asian.
Yau-Man Chan is da man on Survivor
With Yau-Man Chan emerging as one of the favorites, Survivor could see two consecutive Asian American male champions from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kal Penn to teach at Penn
Would you take a class from this guy? Kal Penn in Epic Movie.
Actor Kal Penn, Kumar of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, is going to teach two classes at the University of Pennsylvania next year.
Flower Drum Song's blooms stand test of time
Released in 1961, Flower Drum Song was a revolutionary movie for its time and would be unheard of if it were attempted today--a big-studio musical with a largely Asian American cast.
MTV shuts down Asian channels
After launching with much fanfare (including a story in Hyphen), MTV is closing down its channels that targeted Asian American audiences.
5 Asian American <em>Survivor</em> hopefuls
Survivor: Fiji kicks off Thursday with five Asian Americans among the 19 contestants.
Scooby-Doo creator Iwao Takamoto dies
Iwao Takamoto, who learned about illustration in a Japanese internment camp, died Monday at 81. He was best known for creating Scooby-Doo, an animation staple for generations.
Norm Chow candidate to coach Cardinals
Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow is being considered for the open head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.
Yul Kwon takes Survivor crown
Yul Kwon beat the field in the latest round of Survivor, which started the season with the gimmick of putting people into teams by race.
Rosie O'Donnell apologizes and Hiro worship
Rosie O'Donnell says she's sorry and didn't know "ching chong" might be offensive. How sincere she is, I don't know.
Rosie O'Donnell chimes in with 'ching chong'
Rosie O'Donnell raised a ruckus by using "ching chong" on The View last week to describe how Danny DeVito's drunken appearance on the show is making the news, even in China.
Anti-immigration group fronts Asian American
A organization calling itself Vietnamese for Fair Immigration was actually co-founded by white guy who espoused his views on Web sites and in letters to the editor while pretending to be Vietnamese, according to the Oakland Tribune.
Rise of Kal Penn, no lawyers needed
Kal Penn gets a starring gig in National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise Taj, which opens today, and he didn't have to sue to get the role.
Takei joining cast of Heroes
George Takei, aka Sulu from Star Trek, is going to play Hiro Nakamura's father in Heroes.
'Sex Slave' series called misleading
A whole bunch of Korean American and Asian American organizations and individuals have signed an opinion piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle, saying the paper's Diary of a Sex Slave series is misleading and contains cultural misconceptions.
Writer has problem with 'Asian invasion' at UCLA
I'm not sure if this opinion writer for the UCLA Daily Bruin is trying to be funny, but if he is, he's not succeeding. Jed Levine's premise is that the problem with UCLA is that there are too many Asian American students and their numbers should be limited so more space can be given to the real underrepresented groups.
Confronting Asian American Stereotypes, again
Melissa Hung, our esteemed editor in chief, recounted an experience that is all too familiar to many Asian Americans during a panel discussion last night on stereotypes co-presented by Hyphen and hosted by the Asia Society in San Francisco.
Asian Americans Not Ready for Prime Time
If you think you've read a blog entry like this before, it's probably because you have. It's time for a yearly report from some group or another saying there are aren't that many Asian Americans on TV. The latest one is from the Asian American Justice Center and it says that Asian Pacific American regular characters on network prime time television have not significantly increased over the last two years, since the group's last report.
M. Butterfly flies again
A revival of David Henry Hwang's acclaimed play, M. Butterfly, opens Wednesday in Mountain View, CA.
Snakes, and Asians, on a plane
The cast of the Internet fueled Snakes on a Plane movie has a number of Asian Canadian actors in credited roles.
USC football player Ting tests positive for steroids
Brandon Ting, whose father is Barry Bonds' orthopedic surgeon, quit the USC football team last week after testing positive for steroid use, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Hawaii Native Pitches for A's
The Oakland A's brought up Shane Komine to start Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hawaii's Unique State
It could be the white-sand beaches. It could be the blue sea that calls you to jump in. It could be the warm tropical weather and the palm trees waving in the breeze. It could be a laid-back lifestyle.
It’s all of these things that make Hawaii unique and make me feel so comfortable when I visit. What really sets Hawaii apart, though, is its population. About 60 percent of the state’s residents are Asian Pacific Islanders.
Biden has 7-Eleven Gaffe About Indian Americans
Hyphen advisory board member and blogger Sonny Le alerted us to this video of Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, a presidential candidate, talking to Indan American supporters and making reference to 7-Eleven and Dunkin Donuts. Doh!
Mineta Resigning from Bush Cabinet
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is leaving the Bush administration on July 7. Mineta is one of two Asian Americans and the lone Democrat serving in the president's cabinet.
No Teriyaki in Lin's Fast and the Furious
Interesting back story on how director Justin Lin got to do The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift the way he wanted, via Hyphen editor Brian Lam, via Jeff Yang's Asian Pop column.
Ishikawa Gets Brief Tour with Giants
He came and went in less than a week, but Travis Ishikawa made an impression after being called up to fill in for injured regular San Francisco Giants first baseman Lance Niekro.
Not Many New Angles in Slanted Screen
For some on this blog, it's a tired subject: stereotypes of Asian American men. But someone has made yet another documentary on the issue. The Slanted Screen is playiing at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco this week, and I saw it last night.
New York Times Column Rehashes Model Minority Myth
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof wonders why Asian Americans are so good in school in a Sunday New York Times op-ed piece, but I'm not sure he found the right answer.
Hyphen on DriveTime
Hyphen freelance writer Ching-In Chen is featured in Episode Twenty-Seven of DriveTime, a video blog produced in a car during the morning commute in Boston.
VC Filmfest Opening in Los Angeles
For Southern California folks, VC Filmfest 2006, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, begins tomorrow night.
George Takei's Equality Trek
Star Trek's George Takei has been making the rounds, appearing on Howard Stern's new radio show and speaking up for gay and lesbian rights around the country since coming out publicly last year.
Asian Americans outnumber other groups at UC
Not exactly stop-the-presses news, but Asian Americans are the biggest racial group in the incoming class at the University of California.
The Great Quake's Effect on Chinatown
Better a day late than never. Yesterday was the 100th anniversary the San Francisco earthquake, and if you're here in the Bay Area, you've been inundated with centennial stories in the news.
Here are a few about what happened to the Chinese American community after the quake:
Slanty-eyed Adidas Shoes Offensive to Some
Some people are finding a limited-edition Adidas sneaker created by artist Barry McGee offensive because it it has an image of an Asian man with bowl-cut hair and slanted eyes.