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blackface · executioners · halloween · kkk · News · oriental · racism ·

Halloween Blackface

Yes, blackface. Yes, Oriental dragon lady. They’re costumes and it’s Halloween. Are these images ok? It’s what we see, it’s what we want to be for a few hours. If it’s not ok, then what is? Does it need to be dictated by Hollywood? Is an Avatar alien ok but a Memoirs of a Geisha actress isn’t? Is dressing up like Dr Dre from NWA alright? What about Flavor Flav or even Precious? Is it alright to be Haing Ngor from The Killing Fields? Or Edward James Olmos from Stand and Deliver? There’s a line of some sort and it’s not defined by laws.

This reminds me of an incident while in high school. Our school was open for anyone to walk in at any hour. There are no security cameras of gates locking people out. Every year, someone put a white power type of pamphlet into every locker. It would happen at the dead of night and when opening up the locker, we’d all have a white power solicitation. Everyone wondered the typical, whodunit? Whenever it happened, it was on people’s minds and it happened annually.

Halloween 1986. I got to school early and walking in the hallway were two white robed executioners. They were Klansmen, the exact folks you’d think are the ones responsible for the pamphlets. Yes, it was obvious that dressed as part of the Halloween festivities that day. One of the two carried a spiked metal ball at the end of a broomstick. Their hoods covered their faces and their robes covered their street clothes.

 

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brian wilson · celebrity · ed lee · giants · News · politics · san francisco · viral videos · youtube ·

Ed Lee for Mayor Campaign Video – Out of Control

Ed Lee isn’t a youtube sensation, but in our generation, he can be. The title Fear of the Moustache is a parody of the Fear the Beard slogan that’s SF Giant’s pitcher Brian Wilson’s mantra. Supporters and celeb endorsements include Will-i-am. Tech giant folks, Brian Wilson himself doing MC Hammer moves and Mr Hammer himself. This reported cost $18k to make, and that’s still a questions mark. Perhaps it’s music licensing. The talent was allegedly all free, so where does that cost come from? The video meanwhile is still cheaper than the commercial spots and will turn some heads. [youtube]fbdd_Fasz0k[/youtube]
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animal · extinct · extinction · javan rhino · News · rhino ·

Javan Rhino Now Extinct in Vietnam 40-60 left in World

The Javan Rhino has left the building in Vietnam. The last two lived in the Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. It’s so national, that the Javan Rhinos become easier targets. Why not hunt for animals while they’re in a zoo? This isn’t quite the same, but basically you know where they’ll be at. Last year a poacher killed one, and since then, there’s been so sightings of either a rhino or it’s feces. The positive note, it’s not extinct. There’s 40 – 60 more in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. Let’s hope they don’t get clipped by poachers. The horn is worth tens of thousands per pound, and with salaries that are much less than that, it’s easy cash. (Washington Post – Vietnam)  
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asia · china · chopsticks · conservation · japan · News ·

Disposable Chopsticks Deplete Asian Forests

It had to happen. Everyone uses disposable chopsticks almost everywhere, and they go straight to the trash. Unlike plastic which can be made and remade and yet made again, chopsticks come from somewhat of a finite source and we’ll use them faster than they can grow. Half of the sticks go to China, the other half get divided up between other countries in Asia. Countries like Japan preserve their own forest but continue to import them from other countries, which just passes the buck further. We’re not sure if this article is water tight, but it does open the doors for discussions on chopsticks. (nytimes – Deforesting for Chopsticks) In the US there’s the Korean American run Georgian Chopstick company. (giantrobot – Georgia)   Photo from DDB Shanghai 
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