Author Archives: John

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)

Asian American Commercial Watch: Ken Jeong in Popeyes’ 2024 Super Bowl Ad “The Wait Is Over”

Posted on February 9, 2024 by John

My favorite fellow Duke Asian American alumni is Ken Jeong (’90), and he stars in this Super Bowl commercial announcing that the Popeyes fast food chain is now offering chicken wings as part of their menu: “The year is 1972. … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Liberty Mutual Insurance’s ‘First Word | Truth Tellers’

Posted on January 29, 2024 by John

I forget when I saw this cute commercial – probably while watching the San Francisco 49ers play. The premise is that the mother has been telling everyone how much money she’s been saving switching her insurance to Liberty Mutual, causing … Continue reading →

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Netflix’s The Brothers Sun: Review (Spoilers)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by John

As we had mentioned back in December, the Netflix series The Brothers Sun premiered January 4th. I just finished binge watching the series, and I don’t think I can say enough great things about it!  The series is about: “When … Continue reading →

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Publishing Your Way as a Change Maker: The First Chinese Festivals

Posted on January 5, 2024 by John

I came across this Cornell webinar from an alumni email about a “Leadership Lunch and Learning” webinar series.  The topic was the following: “L Sam Zhang, author and illustrator of The First Chinese Festivals series of picture books, speaks on … Continue reading →

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8Asians Exclusive: Evan Low for Congress interview

Posted on December 28, 2023 by John

Full disclosure: I have donated to Evan Low’s campaigns in the past and will do so in the future. Back in early December, I had blogged about California State Assemblyman Evan Low running for Congress. A few weeks ago, towards … Continue reading →

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NYU Researchers Map Anti-Asian Bias and Xenophobia at State Level

Posted on December 11, 2023 by John

Back in September, New York University (NYU) released this press release regarding a recent study: “The researchers found that Republican-majority and swing states showed indications of greater stereotyping of Asian-born and Asian Americans, with European Americans more likely to see … Continue reading →

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California State Assembly Evan Low Running for Congress to Replace Retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo

Posted on December 7, 2023 by John

Full disclosure: I have donated to Evan Low’s campaigns in the past and will do so in the future. I was excited to hear that California Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low officially launched his bid for Congress for California’s 16th Congressional … Continue reading →

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APIAVote: Taste of Democracy Briefing on AAPI Voter Data

Posted on November 28, 2023 by John

During APEC 2023, the non-profit APIAVote was in town and had a briefing which I was able to attend. The focus of the briefing was the following: To understand AAPIs’ growing electoral power and become a part of the community … Continue reading →

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A Conversation with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu with SF City Attorney David Chiu

Posted on November 24, 2023 by John

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was in San Francisco recently during APEC 2023 to attend the California Asian Leadership Network of Elected and Appointed Officials (CALNET) 2023 leadership retreat. As a Taiwanese American born and raised in Western Massachusetts, I’ve been … Continue reading →

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8mm Review: Quiz Lady

Posted on November 20, 2023 by John

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star in Hulu’s Quiz Lady, which premiered on November 3rd: “A hilarious and heartfelt comedy starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh as estranged sisters forced to cover their mother’s gambling debts, set out to get the cash … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: End Credits – How I Broke Up With Hollywood, A Memoir by Patty Lin

Posted on November 16, 2023 by John

I’m not sure how I first came across End Credits – How I Broke Up With Hollywood, A Memoir by Patty Lin. I think I saw a post on Facebook and then became excited once I knew that Lin was … Continue reading →

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SVAPFF 2023: ‘A Great Divide’ – Q&A and Review (Spoilers)

Posted on November 8, 2023 by John

A few weeks ago, I attended my first screening at the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest (SVAPFF), the 9th and most recent edition of the festival. I was eager to see the independent film A Great Divide, as I had … Continue reading →

Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Discrimination, Entertainment, Local, Movies, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment