The Fighting 44s

An interesting article from Der Spiegel on the history and resurgence of German biopics, “grey” national heroes, and the Nazi who saved 200,000 Chinese lives in Nanking. I’ll be watching the movie when I find it!

THE GOOD NAZI?
German Films Delve into Difficult History

By Lars-Olav Beier

The biopic genre is booming and new screen epics are in the works to celebrate a host of German icons. This week “John Rabe,” a film about a Nazi who saved tens of thousands of lives, opened in cinemas across the country.

He looks anxiously at the sky, watching the low-flying fighter planes drop their bombs into the fleeing crowd. It is December 1937, and German businessman John Rabe, the representative of the Siemens Group in the eastern Chinese city of Nanking, is witnessing Japanese fighter pilots as they attack the company’s facility there, killing helpless civilians.

In that moment of despair, he suddenly has an idea. Rabe, a long-standing member of the Nazi Party, quickly orders his workers to unfurl an enormous swastika flag that the party had sent to him in China. Then Rabe and large numbers of Chinese crouch under the flag. The ruse works, and the Japanese, allied with the Germans, call off the attack.

Posted in Arts & Literature | | Permalink

(Artwork from Hilary Page)
The awesome admins of BicoastalBitchin sent me this link to one of their blog posts. It’s about the media and their portrayal of Asian people. The blogger specifically focuses on AF/WM. When I read it, I cracked up laughing. It reminded me of the grand old days of 44-dom, when I would read General Tojo, Dialectic the Stealth MC, Xian, Maogirl, Catty, and Seoulbrother going back and forth on the CCB’s and other similar topics. That was five years ago when the 44s was new, carving out a very influential niche in the Asian American blogosphere. That was how the 44s built its reputation–for better or for worse. Now, the 44s, like many other sites that began during that era, is facing mid-life.

The best sites in the AA blogosphere grew up on militancy and calls for action. From Asianguy to ModelMinority to even Goldsea, militant passion was the way things were done. These days, however, most AA sites have shifted down to the point of…well, tasting like sawdust. ModelMinority became so militant that many lost perspective.  Goldsea became overly tame. Asianguy died. The 44s was going well until the latest melee, which came by way of certain people (led by a certain person) complaining, then not contributing when the owners provided space.

Posted in Opinion | | Permalink

Hahahaha, fucking quantitative Asian Males, you’ll be the death of us all!!! From The Star:

Meet the man whose big idea felled Wall Street

Math whiz proposed applying this statistical formula to credit risk, and financial meltdown ensued
Mar 18, 2009 04:30 AM

Cathal Kelly
STAFF REPORTER

Note: This article has been edited to correct a previously published version.

Former University of Waterloo statistician David X. Li didn’t burn down the American economy. He just supplied the matches.

As economists and market watchers cast about for people to blame for the U.S. market meltdown, Li has surfaced as a scapegoat. Recently, Wired magazine ran an article on Li’s work subtitled, “The Formula That Killed Wall Street.”

The formula in question is the so-called Gaussian copula function. On the most basic level, the formula allows statisticians to model the behaviour of several correlated risks at once.

In a scholarly paper published in 2000, Li proposed the theorem be applied to credit risks, encompassing everything from bonds to mortgages. This particular copula was not new, but the financial application Li proposed for it was.

Posted in Business & Finance, Funny, News | | Permalink

These are some great examples of the utter rhetorical bullshit in financial news reporting from today. And this is just one day in one Canadian paper. I shudder to think about how they’re speaking on American televised financial news. Are we feeling EXCITED?!!

1.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1402499
The first paragraph alone:
Financial markets did a dramatic 180-degree turn Wednesday, with stock markets erasing losses to surge higher, the U.S. dollar plunging, bond yields tumbling and gold soaring after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it would crank its printing press into higher gear in an all-out effort to revive credit markets and thwart deflation.

2.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1401818
I figured the last article covered all the word possibilities. Not quite:
North American equity markets roared back from early losses Wednesday after investors embraced the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest actions to unclog credit markets and get the economy running smoothly again.

3.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1401972
Look at this crap. The loonie went from 0.78-ish to 0.8-ish, and they say …
Loonie leaps to three-month high on Fed boost

When we get back to par with the U.S. dollar in one day, then you can say it fucking leapt. The article continues …

Posted in Economics, News, Opinion | | Permalink

This is not the entire interview, but it brings the point across very, very well. Man, Cramer sounded like he was about to cry. And what Stewart’s talking about, that’s exactly what I was talking about (in my last post and the comments) when it comes to the news media, and the financial media in particular.

Gotta say, though, poor Cramer, ’cause CNBC is making him the face of this ugliness, and I think they’re going to scapegoat him.

From the Huffington Post:

Posted in Business & Finance, Video | | Permalink

Nothing to do with Asian Americans, other than they’re in big screwed America. Jon Stewart fucks CNBC up the ass for their highly irresponsible market media reporting. I’m sure the kids don’t need to be reminded, but I’ll say it anyway: DO NOT TRUST THE MASS MEDIA. Don’t trust them on anything: money, war, education, science, social issues, anything. They exist to amp up your emotions, usually fear, anger, and greed, for ratings, ad money, and prestige.

Posted in Economics, Entertainment & Media, Video | | Permalink

Lopan was right; if you ever kill someone, start eating their organs and muttering like crazy! From CBC:

Greyhound bus killer found not criminally responsible
Last Updated: Thursday, March 5, 2009 | 10:56 AM CT

Vince Li has been found not criminally responsible for the unprovoked killing and beheading of fellow passenger Timothy McLean on a Greyhound bus last summer.

Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Judge John Scurfield said Thursday that Li, 40, could not be found guilty of murder and is not criminally responsible for the crime because he was mentally ill at the time of the killing.

“These grotesque acts are appalling… but are suggestive of a mental disorder,” the judge said.

“He did not appreciate the act he committed was wrong.”

Li had pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. Psychiatric evidence at his trial suggested he is a schizophrenic who suffered a major psychotic episode last July 30 when he fatally stabbed McLean, 22, ate some of the body parts, and cut off McLean’s head.

For five hours after the killing, Li wandered around on the bus, from which passengers had fled along the Trans-Canada Highway, defiling the body while an RCMP tactical team waited to subdue him.

Posted in News | | Permalink

(Double posted on big WOWO)

Remember this?

According to this CNN article:

The investigation criticized the pilot, who was being trained on the F/A-18, for not consulting a pocket checklist that outlined emergency procedures. While controllers aboard the aircraft carrier that launched the jet urged the pilot to land at a nearby Navy airfield at North Island, squadron officers relied on “incorrect assumptions and inaccurate data” to guide him back to the plane’s base at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

“No one in the ready room stated or understood the severity of the low fuel emergency at this time,” Rupp said. “This is a critical moment, and this is collectively bad decision-making by the duty officer, by the operations officer and by the squadron’s commanding officer.”

It looks like the military had an investigation, and people are being punished.  Good to hear.

Seriously, there is no excuse when a military plane, flying over the citizens whom the military is supposed to protect, crashes and kills civilians.  “Mistakes” like this are not acceptable.  I’m glad that the Marines are taking steps to find those who are responsible.

Posted in Politics | | Permalink

If you’ve been around the AA blogosphere for the past few weeks, you’ve seen the whole hoopla over Miley Cyrus and the slant-eyed pose.  It was discussed on all the major Asian American sites, and you can see it on the 44s over here.  Miley first offered a half-apology, and when the Organization of Chinese Americans called her out on it, she offered a 3/4 apology.  In her second “apology,” she wrote on her own site:

I really wanted to stress how sorry I am if the photo of me with my friends offended anyone.

It’s a non-apology apology.

Anyway, Minority Militant learned that Miley Cyrus has been invited to the White House, and he has asked his readers to write to the White House and to express their disappointment.  I support his effort, and I posted more of my own views on bigWOWO here.

Now I know the arguments.

1. Why bother?  It won’t do anything.

2. This isn’t such a big deal.

3. It’s a defensive maneuver.  We need to do proactive stuff and not get bogged down by negativity.

Posted in Advocacy & Activism, Entertainment & Media | | Permalink

A goddamn brilliant article on evolution from The Economist. It talks about where Darwin’s ideas came from, the correlation of a belief in God with fundamental needs, and whether evolution has an intrinsic direction, i.e. toward greater complexity, as well as compassion and artistic appreciation. Fantastic summary of current knowledge.

Evolution
Unfinished business

Feb 5th 2009
From The Economist print edition
Charles Darwin’s ideas have spread widely, but his revolution is not yet complete

THE miracles of nature are everywhere: on landing, a beetle folds its wings like an origami master; a lotus leaf sheds muddy water as if it were quicksilver; a spider spins a web to entrap her prey, but somehow evades entrapment herself. Since the beginning of time, people who have thought about such things have seen these marvels as examples of the wisdom of God; even as evidence for his existence. But 200 years ago, on February 12th 1809, a man was born who would challenge all that. The book that issued the challenge, published half a century later, in 1859, offered a radical new view of the living world and, most radical of all, of humanity’s origins. The man was Charles Robert Darwin. The book was “On the Origin of Species”. And the challenge was the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Posted in Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology | | Permalink