Schema Magazine

Week 3 of Linsanity | Yes, Jeremy Lin is Indeed human

Jeremy Lin's fairy tale run continued nicely on Monday, Feb. 20, as the 23-year-old overnight point guard sensation landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the second week in a row.

According to Sean Keeley of SBNation.com, the last athlete to grace two consecutive SI covers was Dirk Novitzki on June 13 and June 20, 2011, as he led his Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA title.

By no means is Jeremy Lin on the same level as Dirk Novitzki, although the Lin haters will argue the media are making him out to be so. In fact, the Lin haters are quick to dismiss any further Lin hype as being overkill. And perhaps they're right.

An end to the Linsanity?

On Thursday night, the Lin haters got their wish. Lin and the Knicks were dominated on both ends of the floor by the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, who won the game handily, 102-88. The Heat had prepared for Lin and energetically double teamed him on pick-and-rolls throughout the game, forcing him to cough up the ball and attempt difficult shots in the paint. Lin ended the game with 8 points on 1-for-11 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (he'd been averaging 9.4 assists in 10 starts) and a glaring 8 turnovers.

The game, by far Lin's poorest individual outing since he burst onto the scene in a Feb. 4 win over the New Jersey Nets, might not have been all bad. TNT analyst Reggie Miller called the loss "a blessing in disguise game for Jeremy Lin." It confirmed that Lin's incredible stats weren't sustainable on a nightly basis—even the greatest players have off-nights—and since it was the Knicks' last game before the All-Star break, it gave Lin and his team a chance to come back to reality and reassess how to generate more wins, especially against elite competition.

This introspective period should also allow head coach Mike D'Antoni and his staff figure out how to combine its now-healthy arsenal—featuring Amar'e Stoudamire, Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Baron Davis—with Lin and the rest of their roster into a winning formula.

The All-Star break is a welcome distraction as the media focuses on all the league's stars, leaving Lin and the Knicks to escape the Petri dish for a moment.

One thing is certain, however: Regardless of how Lin and the Knicks perform from here on out, the media-propelled Linsanity won't disappear. This is New York we're talking
about here.

Drawing fouls... of the racial variety

A big reason why the cultural phenomenon known as Linsanity sustained itself until now extends well beyond the basketball court. Perhaps even more than having gone 1-2 in his third week as a starter, Jeremy Lin was in the news for being Taiwanese American, as racist things were being said and written about him. This is a story about race in America.

• Feb. 20: Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times:

"America should see itself in the murky reflection of a society that has long considered it reasonable to publicly categorize Asian Americans in ways that would never be acceptable for other, more vocal minorities," Plaschke wrote.

"...'This all shows how Asian Americans have long been the invisible minority,' said Maeda.(Daryl Maeda, is an associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado who specializes in Asian American studies).

"Not right now, not in NBA's biggest city, as the most celebrated Asian American in league history is in the backcourt for one of the NBA's marquee teams, in the center of what could end up being the sports story of the year."

• Feb. 21: Hadley Freeman, The Guardian:

"There have been high-profile Asian-American athletes before, Michelle Kwan and Tiger Woods being the most obvious. There have also been Asian players in the NBA before, such as the now-retired 7ft 6in Yao Ming. But Lin is the first American in the league of Chinese or Taiwanese descent and this, it turns out, has been a difficult concept for some to grasp.

"...Asian Americans are, without question, barely represented culturally. Black roles in Hollywood are still by and large limited to maids, drug dealers and James Earl Jones, but Asian roles are invariable limited to camp villains, martial arts experts, dippy shop owners and exchange students soundtracked with a gong.

"So the answer to what connects Mickey Rooney (who played an offensively Asian stereotyped character in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's) and Jeremy Lin is that both reveal a side of America that even this most racially aware country tends to ignore. The difference is that Rooney encouraged those stereotypes, Lin overturns them, yet the response remains the same."

• Feb. 22: Jay Caspian Kang, Grantland:

"Of all the news that has come out about Lin's former life - and there hasn't been much - none excited me as much as a screenshot from his Xanga. In a series of captioned photos, a 15-year-old Lin wears a headband in the style of different NBA stars. It's a funny, endearing look into Lin's childhood and hints at a sense of humor that has mostly been absent from his media obligations. But none of the photos or the captions is as telling as the Xanga account's name: ChiNkBaLLa88.

"...For the growing percentage of Asian Americans who would like to see their minority status as nothing more than a curiosity, 'Chink in the Armor' spotlighted what we already knew, but seldom admit: Even the most vigilant parts of our society do not treat all racism the same way.

"...Lin has reignited the possibility of ChiNkBaLLa88 and the Mental Oriental -- a pluralistic, autonomous minority who, without apology, represents a life spent stuck between expectations.

"Maybe it's not fair to Jeremy Lin, and it's certainly too much to heap onto a young man whose saga through the NBA has just reached its 10th game. But regardless of what the polite rules of our post-racial society might say about conflating athletes into symbols or talking too much about race, Jeremy Lin-as-symbol-for-his-people has already arrived."

• Feb. 26: The Sport Xchange:

"Along with points and assists, New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin is piling up something less desirable lately—apologies to him for racially questionable references.

"The first American-born NBA player of Taiwanese descent received another apology this weekend, this time from the famous Ben & Jerry's ice cream company, which is known for coming up with funky names for its flavors.

"Its Cambridge, Mass., store attempted to honor the Harvard alum's increasing notoriety with a 'Taste the Lin-Sanity' frozen yogurt flavor in Harvard Square. But it included fortune cookies in the flavor before changing the fortune cookies to waffle cones and later issuing an apology."

Why is Jeremy Lin drawing so much racial attention? I think ESPN Pardon The Interruption's Michael Wilbon explained it best.

"Any time you're an oddity, in any sport, whether you're Tiger Woods and you're young and you're growing up playing golf, people will look at you and go, 'What? What is this kid?'" said Wilbon on Feb. 14, in response to boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s bigoted tweets about Lin.

"Or a white kid now playing professional basketball in America - not overseas, where plenty of white kids do - but you're an oddity and people look at you differently."

And now back to basketball.

A lot has been made about Jeremy Lin's sudden and unlikely rise to NBA stardom. In my previous column, I stated that the Jeremy Lin story is compelling because his success was so unexpected.

A Feb. 24 article by Howard Beck of the New York Times—entitled "The Evolution of a Point Guard"—paints a different picture of Lin. He is not an Asian American basketball player who came out of nowhere; rather, a revamped and retooled product of tireless hours of training and hard work who, by some twist of fate, got a chance at real NBA minutes.

"Jeremy Lin's rise did not begin, as the world perceived it, with a 25-point explosion at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 4," wrote Beck. "It began with lonely 9 a.m. workouts in downtown Oakland in the fall of 2010; with shooting drills last summer on a backyard court in Burlingame, Calif.; and with muscle-building sessions at a Menlo Park fitness center.

"It began with a reworked jump shot, a thicker frame, stronger legs, a sharper view of the court—enhancements that came gradually, subtly, through study and practice and hundreds of hours spent with assistant coaches, trainers and shooting instructors over 18 months."

In the rest of the article, Beck explains:

• As a rookie with the Warriors, Lin was the first player at the practice facility every day, eating breakfast by 8:30 a.m. "Practice typically began at noon."
• Lin studied a catalog of tapes showing elite point guards running the pick-and-roll. "Phoenix's Steve Nash figured prominently."
• Lin took a perfectionist's approach to improving his 3-point shot, working with Bay Area high school coach Doc Sheppler for hours on end.
• Lin worked with Phil Wagner, a physician and trainer in Menlo Park, Calif. who put him through a program of heavy weights and low repetitions in conjunction with a high-protein diet. Beck wrote: "With the added muscle, Lin pushed his weight to 212 pounds from 200, while increasing his vertical leap by 3.5 inches, Wagner said. The result is evident every time Lin barrels into the lane this season."

Beck's article is refreshing on a number of levels. Not only does it debunk the commonly-held theory that Jeremy Lin didn't get a fair shake prior to becoming a star in New York (at each of his previous stops, he wasn't the player he is now), it also disproves the assumption that he didn't get a fair shake because he is Asian.

Lin worked his ass off and, due to a much publicized twist of fate, his hard work is finally paying off at Madison Square Garden and in NBA arenas across North America.

The All-Star break is coming to a close. And so, the real Jeremy Lin must stand up.

***
Allan is Schema's J-Lin correspondent and a lifelong basketball fan. He lives in Vancouver and is incessantly taking photos of his food. And his sneakers. You can follow him on Twitter @poonisms.

North Korea's Cinema of Dreams | Documentary Clip from Al Jazeera

By Ada Lee

Source: Al Jazeera

Got 20 minutes? Then I bet that you'd want to watch this fascinating clip from a documentary by Lynn Lee and James Leong on North Korea's movie industry. That's right—North Korean Hollywood.

The late Kim Jong-Il gave his country a (contestable) amount of things, including a "Day of the Shining Star", but he was particularly known for his love for film. He even wrote a book on cinema and directing back in 1987, and apparently kidnapped a famous South Korean film director to "rejuvenate" the North Korean film industry in 1978. In his people's eyes, he was a movie genius.

But the clip here doesn't talk about Kim and his obsession. Instead, it shows a camera following a bunch of budding (privileged) actress and actors who will be the rising stars of North Korea's movie industry. They talk about feeling incredibly moved by the propaganda-laden movies, and their desire to be patriotic to their country. They show us their part in this hermit state.

Talk about a rare window into an uncharted area. Of course, it's hard not to be aware of all the politics of selective presentation, as well as the context/subtext of the makers of this documentary. The things that are included and excluded provokes questions and investigation. The video clip is empirical, ethnographical, and critical.

Yet a part of me cannot look past the odd feeling I got when I suddenly realized that I can relate to the girl in the clip. No, not because I also live in an authoritarian regime based on a cult of personal worship. Rather, it's because I too, for example, had to get my parents approval to pursue the things I like. The interaction between her classmates are similar to the interactions I have with my peers; their passion in pursuing what they excel in is an inspiration.

For a moment, I forgot about the political differences, the air of privilege these actors give off, and the blatant display of worship to the Dear Leader.

***
Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Ada Lee | February 28, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, Documentary, Film, Korea, Politics

Friends for LIfe | Why Teddy Bears Aren't Just for Kids

By Kait Bolongaro

According to a new survey, thirty-five percent of British adults sleep with a stuffed animal. Travelodge conducted the survey in attempt to reunite lost teddy bears to their rightful owners. The hotel chain found over 75,000 stuffed animals in 452 hotels only in England. In just one year. That's a lot of teddy bears.

Over 6,000 Britons were polled with some interesting results. 10 percent of women treat their teddy bear as a close friend, and 25 percent of men bring a stuffed pet along with them for business trips. Over 51 percent of those surveyed still have a teddy bear from their childhood, making the average age of a teddy bear in Britain 27 years old. Perhaps the most surprising: more men consider their stuffed animals as best friends and tell them all their secrets.

Many respondents agreed that they cuddled stuffed animals for a sense of comfort. They also reported a better night's sleep with a teddy bear. Psychologists confirm the benefits of a stuffed companion. In a Travelodge new survey psychologist Corrine Sweet said, "cuddling a teddy bear is an important part of our national psyche as it evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort."

If so many adults sleep with stuffed pets, why do we still insist on hiding some of our closest friends? This survey also found that 1 in 10 single men hide their stuffed animals when their girlfriend stays over. If your partner doesn't like your teddy bear, then perhaps you should rethink who should be kicked out of bed. In my relationships, Curly is not a compromise. She is part of the package deal.

Who is Curly? Curly is my stuffed brown cocker spaniel that my mom bought me when I was five. I waited for weeks to get her and she has been my partner in crime for 18 years. Whenever I travel, I take her with me. I also have another stuffed donkey named Naiya who I bought before I moved to Uganda. He has now become an integral part of our trio for the past two years. I couldn't imagine my travels and life without them and I certainly wouldn't hide them if anyone came over. Love me, love them, no compromises.

Posted by Kait Bolongaro | February 28, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Kait Bolongaro

Celebrating Black History Month in Comics

By Rob Parungao

Initially, this post was supposed to be a list of some great black characters in comic books in celebration of black history month. A quick Google search will show that this exercise has been done over and over again, and while these lists certainly showcase the history and importance of black comic book characters (characters like Storm, Steel, Black Panther, and so forth), they predominantly focus on the fantastical aspects of their existence rather than on how well they are portrayed. While I love the idea of a black Nick Fury in the upcoming Avengers film I question whether an angry, swearing black man really challenges racial stereotypes?

One could argue that comics don't need to be progressive, and that just having a black character that doesn't reinforce negative stereotypes is already breaking ground. Perhaps, but I tend to expect more from writers, especially if I'm ponying up some hard-earned cash. Below is a list of some strong black characters that I've come across that are not only well-written, but are socially progressive as well.

1. Miles Morales (Ultimate Spiderman)

For many comic fans, the re-launch of the Ultimate Spiderman series with a black Spiderman was a politically correct middle finger. A few years ago the internet's proverbial head exploded when Community star Donald Glover tried to get an audition for the upcoming Amazing Spiderman film. Message boards around the world made clear that fans were not happy with the idea of a black Spiderman simply because it was not in the comic book cannon. Marvel decided to return the favour by killing off Peter Parker in the Ultimate universe and replace him with Miles Morales, effectively ensuring that there indeed was a black Spiderman in print.

Further, writer Brian Michael Bendis pushes the envelope with Morales, ensuring that his story is not only a compelling one, but one that explores the everyday life of many black youth in America. Unlike Peter Parker who grew up in the predominantly white New York suburbs, Morales's childhood is marked by poverty. His parents take him to a charter school lottery in an attempt to ensure that he get out of the ghetto through education, a scene more tense than any fight sequence.

2. David Zavimbe (Batwing)

Not to out-done by Marvel, DC decided to introduce David Zavimbe as Batwing, a new superhero in their New 52 launch. Like Bendis' Spiderman, writer Judd Winick ensures that the character's story is rooted in real social issues, this time in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His parents died of HIV/AIDS at an early age and he was drafted as a boy soldier to fight in a war that ravaged his country.

Overall the story has received praise on both the writing and the artwork and while the story may convey 'Africa needs saving' tropes, Winick understands that it is Africans who have the greatest degree of agency to influence change in their home, not outsiders.

3. Agent 355 (Y: The Last Man)

Well-written black superheroines are few and far between in mainstream comics. You have Storm from the X-Men comics then you have a barrage of C-listers who periodically show up when writers need a plot device or a bit of token ethnicity on a page.

In Brian K. Vaughn's Y:The Last Man Agent 355 is a member of the Culper Ring, a secret government agency and accompanies Yorick on his five-year cross-continental adventures after a mysterious plague kills off every man on the planet. Unlike her lovingly goofy companion, she is focused, and talented. While women in comics are often reduced to revealing outfits and hourglass figures (pandering to comic's primary demographic), 355 is defined by her competence and leadership and doesn't need to show skin to attract readers to her character.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 27, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Black History Month, Comics, Rob Parungao

Sex and Relationships in the Media | Facebook Relationship Status

By Vinnie Yuen

Photo credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Did you ever fight about your boyfriend or girlfriend's relationship status on Facebook? You're not alone.

According to a study appearing in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, women's indication that they are "in a relationship" was not as important to their male partners compared with how women felt about their partners indicating they are "in a relationship." Relationship statuses on Facebook were found to be a cause of fights among couples.

In 45 of the 58 couples surveyed, both partners reported being in a relationship on Facebook. In 31 of the couples, both male and female partners showed their dating partner in the profile picture. Men were somewhat more likely to include their girlfriend in their profile photos than vice versa.

I remember changing relationship status on Facebook as a kind of monumental step for my relationship. A few days after he said, "I want you to be my girlfriend" on the phone, my boyfriend asked to change our Facebook statuses "to reflect that." I just said, "Then send the request."

Relationship statuses on Facebook are such a cause for discussion! Everyone knows when you've broken up, gotten engaged, or gotten married. It's such a big part of how we identify ourselves and express who we are.

On another hand, I know many people who are in relationships who explicitly do not change their Facebook statuses. Rebelling against Mark Zuckerberg, I suppose? Or maybe they just don't want everyone to know who they're dating.

What do you think? How important is the Facebook relationship status to you?

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 29, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Media, Relationship, Social Network, Vinnie Yuen

Schema Celebrates Eight Years

By Jocelyn Gan and Beth Hong

A snapshot of the Schema team at its eighth anniversary party. Taken at co-founder and publisher Alden Habacon's house on February 25, 2012.

Februrary 25, 2012 is Schema Magazine's eighth birthday. To celebrate this milestone, co-editors in chief Jocelyn Gan and Beth Hong share few words about what Schema means to them.

Jocelyn Gan: Co-editor in chief and cat lover. Overlord at Daily Dose.

Schema has been my home for the past four years.

When I use the word home, I use it in the most literal sense. I have grown up tremendously here. I have been nurtured, cared for, accepted, and most importantly, I have found a sense of belonging. Like many of you that have visited Schema, I have struggled with my identity: wanting to hold on to my heritage, but at the same time feeling as if I had to either hide or ignore it. Don't get me wrong—I wasn't ashamed of my background; I was just unsure of how to connect with it.

When I found Schema, I found a home. And I found people just like me—people in between two, three, even four cultures, unsure of where they fit, but at the same time feeling as if we didn't have to find that place. We are perfectly content with blending our different cultures, and in many ways that is what makes us so sure of our identity in the end. I'm Canadian. I am also Chinese and Malaysian. I love a hot spicy bowl of laksa as much as I enjoy a juicy burger.

So Happy 8th Birthday Schema! We've both come a long way.

Beth Hong: Co-editor in chief and lover of kimchi, poutine, and everything in between. Mastermind at InDepth.

It's hard to believe that Schema is turning eight today. If it was a child, it'd be in the third grade, probably clutching a Yo Gabba Gabba lunchbox.

As our contributing editor Gayatri Bajpai said at our anniversary party, "Soon it'll be a teenager ... and start experimenting with Angry Asian Man and Hyphen Magazine!"

All jokes aside, Schema is near to my heart. As a self-identified 1.5-generation Korean Canadian woman, something just clicked immediately with me about Schema's lofty aims: a magazine (or media collective, as I'd prefer to say) that reflects my generation of young Canadians in all of our complexity. I'm talking about complexity that's beyond ethnic. I'm talking about our complex cultural, social, political, gender, and sexual identities. I've been a part of the Schema team for two years now, and it feels like there's so much more to come. As we look forward to some major developments with the magazine in 2012, I only have one thing to say: stay tuned, and prepare to be blown to smithereens.

Also check out
Photos from Schema's 8th birthday soiree.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 25, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Beth Hong, Jocelyn Gan, Schema Magazine Anniversary

'Sittin' on the Toilet' | In Reality, That's A Privilege for Some

By Shima Ghailan

Remember that Youtube video that went viral of the woman filming herself in the bathroom saying "sittin' on the toilet" over and over? While some people saw that video and laughed, some would have thought, "Wow, she is SO lucky to be sitting on a toilet".

An Indian woman, Anita Narre, left her husband because he did not provide her with a toilet in their home in a village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Even though he said that he didn't have the necessary funds to build her one, she didn't budge. He built her one using his savings and help from their neighbours, and she returned after 8 days.

Sanitary conditions are a rare commodity in the Global South, with limited healthcare infrastructures and unstable economic conditions—having a toilet is considered to be a privilege more than a right. Instead, when nature calls, they have to go outside and at times, walk some distance away for a designated "bathroom" area which is typically confined to straw-walls or poorly assembled wood and a hole in the ground. Unfortunately, they're then subjected to health risks for not having something that some deem as a customary component of a household.

Narre didn't comply with that notion.

While some articles suggest that it's the women who suffer the most of not having toilets in their households, Narre took it upon herself to ensure that she doesn't surrender to those conditions. Demanding her husband provide her with a toilet and leaving him for that time awarded her $10,000 given by an NGO. Her story is not unique however. Unfortunately, for many, this is an everyday reality. Many people in India don't have access to toilets or other sanitary spaces for bathrooms even though the Indian government has pushed a drive for "sanitation for all". Specifically for smaller villages, the lack of structure and regulation is apparent because evidently, it takes a woman to leave her home in order to force her husband to build her a toilet.

Gives a shot of perspective to the things we often take for granted, doesn't it?

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 24, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: India, Shima Ghailan, Women

Globalism's Resurrection of Language

By Codi Hauka

Here's something you probably don't think about going extinct: languages. It's usually the things we use on a daily basis that are the most taken for granted, and the way we communicate is one of them. We also don't necessarily consider the variations and number of distinct dialects that exist beyond our own. Roughly half of the over 7,000 languages spoken around the world today are projected to be extinct within the next 80 years. In that context, the extent and threat to languages becomes a little harder to ignore.

Our use and consideration for dialects remains largely unilingual. In my generation, I don't know many people who are native speakers of English who can speak more than one language. Sure, I've dabbled in several other vernaculars, such as German, Spanish, and French, but none of them match my championed grasp of the English language. I would absolutely say that if you aren't born in a non-English predominant country, then you stand a better chance of being bilingual on the basis alone of learning English in addition to your native language. Dialects are being swallowed by the encompassing spread of those from global leaders, with English, Mandarin and Cantonese consuming global communication with our increased ability to connect to others across the world.

Then there's something else many people use on a daily basis that could help reverse this situation: social media. Many small languages are consolidating their oral histories by utilizing sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and the Mac app store. Globalization works in both directions, as some of the remotest dialects have extended their voice to a global audience through these avenues of communication.

In addition, National Geographic has been acting on an initiative to salvage languages that would otherwise be lost to history by creating audio dictionaries. In this, the organization either locates or is approached by endangered language speakers, members of which then recite and record entries for the online dictionary. So far, eight of these dictionaries have been completed, containing more than 32,000 word entries from languages we might have otherwise never heard of.

Perhaps part of the reason that native English speakers are primarily unilingual is based in the fact that the physical and virtual world facilitates this. Why learn another language when everything you need is presented in familiar terms? But by recognizing just how vast and eclectic the breadth of global languages is, the fact that we as a people could lose up to 3,500 of those is a daunting figure. That's thousands of people's histories lost, a lifetime of experience gone. While globalization might be the culprit of such a sentence, it also provides the solution.

***
Codi Hauka is a fifth year International Relations student with a minor in History at the University of British Columbia, and a connoisseur of pies. She aspires to become a journalist, or, failing that, the heir to the Colbert Report. You can follow Codi's work at The Magpie, a fake news blog she coordinates with an esteemed colleague and friend. The website is in the midst of a facelift, so please forgive its current 1990s level of visual appeal.

Posted by Codi Hauka | February 27, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Codi Hauka, Language

The Documentary Bully Bullied by the MPAA

By Mehran Najafi

Bullying is bad. We all know that. I remember back in my day, I strove to be that guy who fought to protect the weak and the voiceless, but I failed in attempting so because I ended up being bullied myself by the bigger and the stronger. School was like a microcosm of a wild jungle, dictated by those who clenched their fist the hardest and merciless to those that just weren't vile enough to keep their ground.

Very fittingly, Sundance and Emmy-winning director Lee Hirsch has made a new documentary, titled Bully, which sheds light on an increasingly apparent epidemic in American schools. Over 13 million kids are bullied in America every year, as there has also been a significant rise in the number of youth suicide cases that directly trace back to the horrors of bullying. The documentary is to be released on March 30th.

This all sounds very fitting and sanguine for the film, however there is only one single problem. The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has given the film a big fat R rating due to "some of its language".

Quite the pessimists, aren't they? Even if there was one glimmer of hope that Lee Hirsch had of sobering up any of the bullies across the nation, by having the screen be a mirror to them along with the horrible consequences of their actions, now it seems completely annihilated, thanks to the MPAA. Some of its language? Really? Kids these days drop (or hear) the f-bomb more times than these parental-control intermediaries can ever detect. For gods sake, the f-bomb was the first word I picked up ages before I even flirted with the thought of attempting to learn the English language, in Iran!

This is what director Lee Hirsch had to say about the matter:

"I made BULLY for kids to see—the bullies as well as the bullied. We have to change hearts and minds in order to stop this epidemic, which has scarred countless lives and driven many children to suicide. To capture the stark reality of bullying, we had to capture the way kids act and speak in their everyday lives—and the fact is that kids use profanity. It is heartbreaking that the MPAA, in adhering to a strict limit on certain words, would end up keeping this film from those who need to see it most."

So, dear reader. Please put aside whatever it was that you were doing, just for a single little moment and go tickle this big beast into changing its irrational attitude. Go and tweet @MPAA and tell them to re-think their rating of Bully.

Posted by Mehran Najafi | February 24, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: America, Documentary, Film, Mehran Najafi

High Society Nights @ Ginger 62 | Meet Resident DJ Lajit

By Gayatri Bajpai

Photo credit: Jesse Winter Heading

When I get together with DJ Lajit for chai and a bite at East is East on Main Street, I am expecting 'a man of few words', as his website describes him. However, the polite and gentlemanly DJ is hardly shy. Instead, he approves my choice of meetup spot (he has been meaning to bring his girlfriend-recently-turned-fiancé-there), and after ordering a roti roll, launches right into the story of how he came to spin.

DJ Lajit was once simply Amar Jitla, who grew up in Nairobi, and after a brief stint with his family in the UK, came over to Canada at the age of 13. His music tastes had already developed under a heavy British influence.

The self-described 'geek of all geeks' wore fitted jeans and a dress shirt buttoned up to his neck and listened to UK-manufactured bhangra and Bollywood beats. Uniforms at his Kenyan boarding school had not prepared him for Vancouver. Unlike his classmates, he was new to gangster rappers having 'beef' with each other and exchanging threats in their music. Not even his cousins would hang out with him.

But Jitla adapted quickly. His first gig as a DJ was at his high school, where he had joined the audiovisual club.

"Back in the 90s," says 31-year-old DJ Lajit, "our school dances were done by big companies that wanted to promote themselves. Much Music was trying to make a name for itself. One year a company got caught in a winter storm back east and they couldn't make it, but we had already announced the dance for the school. The audiovisual club was called to bail them out. We set up speakers and brought whatever music we had. I, being new here, brought my stuff from the UK."

DJ Lajit's high school had a large Indo-Canadian population, so his urban desi tunes were a fitting counterpoint to the more mainstream stuff his friends brought.

Photo credit: Jesse Winter Heading

"It went so well that I kinda looked at it from a broader perspective and went 'I wanna do this.'"

But DJ Lajit, then simply Amar, was mostly pushing play for his school's bhangra dance team. That's when a friend of his suggested he call himself DJ Lajit.

'It's like L-E-G-I-T, except spelt L-A-J-I-T. Flip your last name, Jitla, and you get Lajit.' She patiently explained to the perplexed Amar.

Two years later this christening came in use. He walked into an opening act gig his high school audiovisual teacher had gotten him, at a club called Wild Coyote. He was 17. When asked what he'd like to be called, all that came to mind was his friend's suggestion.

"And there I was, playing at a club I wasn't even legally allowed to drink at. When I played, the club was empty. By the time the main guy came on, the club was packed. You gotta start at the bottom of the barrel and climb your way out."

While he grew as an artist, DJ Lajit realized he didn't want to be spinning mainstream pop and R&B. He wanted to play Indian music.

That's when he began to spin at Indian weddings. They payed well. He went from entertaining audiences of 200 people to packed halls of over 1200.

DJ Lajit developed an interest in producing his own songs. He opened a studio at a friend's house and started calling anyone who had anything to do with production in his phone book.

One day, a friend of his brought over a man called Aman Panesar. The two got to talking and realized they had met before when Panesar, who now goes by DJ Reminisce, had brought a mixed tape over to the music store DJ Lajit worked at, but never came back to hear the store release it.

Photo credit: Jesse Winter Heading

What's more, Panesar turned out to be the man who had remixed a song called Jugni to Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, a track that had caused DJ Lajit and his bhangra club friends to engage in a futile search for its artist. Here was a face to the anonymous DJ the young Amar had worshipped.

"He had retired, but I said, 'I'll pull you out of retirement.'" Says DJ Lajit.

From then on, anytime either one got a gig, he'd call the other. DJ Reminisce began playing at High Society nights organized by A-town Productions in the early 2000s, and DJ Lajit became his unofficial invitee, 'a sidekick', in his own words.

"Aman and I became a DJ duo. Two for the price of one." He laughs.

The twain went on to dominate the DJ circuit with their urban desi beats.

"Some say we still dominate it. But we've got humble personalities. A lot of kids that are doing new stuff these days are, in all honesty, doing really well. So we're saying, 'Here's the torch. Take it.' On the other hand, we get kids who'll do it a couple of times and then we never see them again. Some people come into it for fame or money. If you're not true to your art, you're not going to go very far."

DJ Lajit has been doing his 'thing' for one and a half decades, but he doesn't live off of his art. In fact, that's probably why the daytime engineer is able to remain authentic to his passion.

"I've let my name build itself. I know I'm a DJ but anyone that knows me knows I hate attention. Leave me behind a desk and I do my thing."

While his parents showed little enthusiasm at first for his love of DJ-ing, they came round when they saw his name on TV and in magazines.

"They finally said, 'Oh, he's doing something right.' DJ-ing is not viewed in our community as a female or even a male thing. It's important for everyone to realize: This is not just being in clubs. It's an art form. Respect it." Says DJ Lajit.

And what has the reception of his work been like across Canada? DJ Lajit claims Vancouver crowds are some of the hardest to play to. He says Calgary and Edmonton audiences don't get enough Bhangra music, so they clamour for it. Toronto crowds, on the other hand, give him a lot of leeway. They're open to dubstep and reggaeton mashups of desi tunes. He loves the freedom to mix it up.

Photo credit: Jesse Winter Heading

In Vancouver, his audiences prefer house beats. DJ Lajit's theory is that the twenty-something Indo-Canadian girls and boys who come to his gigs are not appropriately dressed for dubstep.

"Dubstep is very animated, depending on whether it's on a low or a high. They're used to pulling bhangra moves or moving back and forth to a club beat." He says, affectionately.

But Ginger 62 being situated where it is, High Society has had a mix of people from the hotel above in attendance. And DJ Lajit is very satisfied with how his music has impressed people from ethnic groups across the board who thought bhangra was all about the 'light bulb' move, or the 'lawn mower'. Instead they've discovered Indo-Canadians busting out complex moves to music that DJ Lajit endeavours to keep constantly fresh.

The UK has been leading the international desi music scene for over thirty years, but DJ Lajit sees Vancouver as poised to catch up very quickly. He mentions big names that Vancouver produced and points out that they are all playing internationally or in the UK.

However, Vancouver, which is growing exponentially in the area of Indo-Canadian beats, is also experiencing a bit of a British invasion. And DJ Lajit is open to the culture of experimentation foreign DJs bring, being, himself, an innovator.

"It's our job to educate the audience, introduce new lyrics and rhythms to them. You bring your audience on board and then the other DJs follow."

So what does DJ Lajit have in store for this month's High Society night?

"I'm probably going to try more playful Hindi music like "Chikni Chameli". Desi Bollywood stuff. I'm going to play the original versions. Songs like "Dhinka Chika Dhinka Chika": it's just a beat and the lyrics carry you. The first time I played something like this, the crowd looked like 'What the hell is this?' But the girls usually know their music a lot better than the guys do. So when they get into it, everyone does."

DJ Lajit doesn't prepare which songs he's going to play in advance anymore. If his collection's getting a little stale, he updates it. But otherwise, with 15 years of DJ-ing behind him, the former bhangra club button-pusher plays his full Granville club by ear, just the way he likes it.

*****
Follow @amarjitla on Twitter!

Carnival meets Bollywood at this month's High Society Mardi Gras: tonight at Ginger 62!

Posted by Gayatri Bajpai | February 23, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Gayatri Bajpai, Music, South Asian

Modesty x Couture | New Muslim Modeling Agency in NYC

By Ada Lee

High fashion and modesty—clashing ideals, or can it actually work?

The American-born Muslim designer Nailah Lymus seeks out to bridge the gap between fashion and modesty. She does so by launching a new modeling agency in New York City for Muslim models.

The agency, Underwraps, will represent aspiring models that wish to work in the mainstream fashion industry without having to compromise their faith-led belief of modesty in dress. According to Lymus, it is a belief that requires clothes to be loose and not shape revealing, and that the only body parts that can be visible are your face, hands and feet.

"Being modest isn't just a Muslim concept; it crosses many religions and cultures," says Lymus. "Beautiful women who have always wanted to venture on to the catwalk but have declined because of their beliefs now have a chance." Lymus' goal with Underwraps, to me, seems to be creating a new space for reconciling concepts that are seemingly conflicting.

Lymus attracted attention when she first launched her line of clothing "Amirah Creations" last year. Her designs are hot but they're also trail blazing—she's determined to break stereotypes and limitations of what Muslim women can wear, and ultimately, how they can fit in without forfeiting their identities.

How will this agency fare in an industry where flesh-baring models are the standard? Judging by the comments online, it seems like everybody has their own idea of what modesty, Islam, modeling, and high fashion should be about. Many are skeptical of whether it'll survive. Others are saying that there is no market for modest fashion.

But if fashion is an expression of the self, then what Lymus is doing resonates in Schema—Underwraps is to Muslim models as Schema is to hyphenated Canadians. It's a space where 1st/2nd/3rd generations can navigate through cultures without having to compromise, without having to choose simply being one or the other.

So I say, you go, girl.

***
Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. The list ranges from social justice to astrology. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Ada Lee | February 22, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, Diversity, Fashion

Vic Toews Gets Personal | The Public's Backlash to Bill C-30

By Codi Hauka

It's hard to imagine what life would be like without the Internet. For something so new, the pace at which the Internet has revolutionized our ability to access people and knowledge is nothing short of incredible. It has become so much a part of our daily routines that if we were to travel thirty years back it would seem like the Stone Age. I for one can attest to freaking out when Wikipedia shut down for twenty-four hours not long ago, making me realize just how reliant I have become on it as a tool for, well, pretty much everything. We have an amicable relationship: I take what I want from it, and the Internet stores all of my online information and data without a fuss. Yes, the Internet has got my back.

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way after the backlash that Public Safety Minister Vic Toews received after introducing Bill C-30, A.K.A the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. Now, I know what you're thinking: who doesn't want to protect children? Won't someone please think of the children?! This would be all well and good if child safety and/or predators were actually addressed in the bill, but they aren't. Instead, the title for Bill C-30 appears to have been changed on its way to print to give it a "G" rated stamp of approval for the government to have legal access to Canadians' Internet subscriber information.

There's an unquestionable amount of identity theft that occurs online. I've had my credit card number stolen enough times to know that while the Internet is my friend in knowledge and accessibility, she is also a foul temptress, unstable with many irons in the fire. But for the most part, our experiences with online privacy invasion stem from illegal affairs, which while bothersome, are not as frightening as allowing the people who are supposed to protect us from this kind of stuff the ability to do so at their leisure.

The slightest hint that the government is going all "Big Brother" on the country leaves us nipping at the heels of democracy to defend our well-being and interests. The public's reaction to Toews' proposed bill has certainly exemplified this, with people saying that it grants the government the right to legal corruption. One humourous response was that of Vikileaks, a Twitter account that mocked the ability to access Canadians' private lives by posting explicit and embarrassing details about Toews, including ones on his divorce, which was promptly shut down. Other groups such as #DontToewsMeBro have been divulging their most intimate routines to Toews to prevent him from backing this bill. Renowned hacker group Anonymous has also offered its two cents on the issue, calling for Toews to resign or come toe to toe with the group's compilation of private information they have on him.

Whatever your take is on the bill, you can be sure that Toews is in for a taste of his own medicine a few more times before the final verdict.

***
Codi Hauka is a fifth year International Relations student with a minor in History at the University of British Columbia, and a connoisseur of pies. She aspires to become a journalist, or, failing that, the heir to the Colbert Report. You can follow Codi's work at The Magpie, a fake news blog she coordinates with an esteemed colleague and friend. The website is in the midst of a facelift, so please forgive its current 1990s level of visual appeal.

Posted by Codi Hauka | February 21, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Codi Hauka, Politics

Is Coffee Ousting Chai? | Starbucks Enters India

By Gayatri Bajpai

India is being invaded yet again, but this time by Seattle's favourite army masquerading as a coffee chain. In "Coffee vs Tea: Is India falling for the cappuccino?", Rajini Vaidyanathan explores Starbucks' imminent infiltration of the Indian streets.

In the land where chai was invented, what devastating effects will Starbucks have? On the one hand, chai stalls are already overshadowed by local and international coffee chains in the north. In the south, the traditional kapi has always held sway. Brewed and served pre-sweetened, kapi is made in homes and at South Indian restaurants. It is nothing like the lattés and cappuccinos of the west.

However, upper and upper-middle-class tastes are becoming geared towards western coffee—as much because it is a status symbol to be seen in a coffee shop as that the product itself is in demand.

So what of the poor chai vendors of the Indian streets? I doubt they will go extinct: simply because they are a staple of the working classes, which constitute a majority of the Indian population.

What the article says is fairly accurate: coffee shops provide community hangouts, and canoodling spots for young lovers who would otherwise be forced to go to parks, where they are harassed by cops for their PDA.

I briefly went to a girls' boarding school in the foothills of the Himalayas. While the students were from privileged backgrounds, they led very sheltered and regimented lives, where even catching a glimpse of the opposite sex was a luxury. The local Barista café was a place where the girls and boys of the town's boarding schools could meet for a few precious hours each weekend. The café even kept a guitar for the sole purpose of serenading.

A culture is developing around coffee that has more to do with the atmosphere cafés provide than the drink itself. In India, its social purpose is magnified because of the restrictions placed on young people concerning bars and dating.

While these restrictions are not universal or as widespread as the article makes it seem, the exceptions are confined to the minority of comparatively wealthy, Westernized, urban youth whose families allow them to party.

So coffee shops are not dating hubs for the crème-de-la-crème or the very poor. They are more like a service for the middle-income and upper-middle-income youth. Starbucks is poised to cash in on this demographic, and as a coffee addict, I'm not complaining. What's more, India can always export its extra chai to the west, where its novelty value will supercede any requirement that it actually taste good.

Oh wait, Starbucks already did that.

Posted by Gayatri Bajpai | February 21, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Culture, Food, Gayatri Bajpai, South Asian

WTF Friday | Songwriter for K-Pop Group Girls' Generation Hates On Black People

By Vinnie Yuen

Photo Credit: Soompi.com

Jenny Hyun, songwriter for the co-songwriter behind Girls' Generation's "How Great is Your Love" and Chocolat's "One More Day", decided to spew a string of racist tweets recently on her Twitter account.

Her comments were a response to boxer Floyd Mayweather's tweet about Jeremy Lin, which said, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."

Apparently, that set off Hyun, who then went on to suggest the genocide of black people, that the world's problems would end if black people were eradicated, and that they were a "disgusting" culture.

WTF, Jenny? Why all the hate? You do know it's the 21st century now, right? Just to let you know, racism isn't cool anymore. Neither is genocide. Or slavery. Get with the program.

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 24, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Vinnie Yuen, WTF Fridays

Jeremy Lin as an NBA Starter | Week 2...The Linsanity Effect

By Allan Pulga

It was one thing to drop 38 in a win over Kobe and the Lakers. It was entirely another to take the game in his hands four nights later, on the last possession of the game, as the sell-out crowd at the Air Canada Centre rose to its feet, and win the game with a dramatic three-pointer.

The effect of that treybomb reverberated around the world. As of today, the YouTube video of Lin's Feb. 14 game winner over the Raptors has been viewed over 5.2 million times.

It wasn't just that shot. The Knicks were down 3 on the previous possession. Lin made an and-one to tie the game, AND THEN he went and won it with a three-pointer in Jose Calderon's face. The ACC erupted.

Lin finished the game with 27 points and a career-high 11 assists. This was a day after being named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week—in his first week as an NBA starter.

The following day, on The Scott Van Pelt Show on ESPN Radio, Mike Breen discussed Jeremy Lin's game winner over the Raptors the night before (Breen had called the game for MSG Network).

In his 20 years of calling games, Breen said he's only seen two other players receive the ovation Lin received on Tuesday by the opponent's home crowd during pre-game player introductions: Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

And when Lin hit the game winner? "The crowd exploded." This was an away game.

"I've never seen anything like it, in all of my years in the game as a player and as an analyst," Tim Legler told Van Pelt on Sportscenter Tuesday night. "To do it at this level, and then to top it, night after night, and go higher and higher. This is a guy that had three different teams look at him and not see what we're seeing right now. It's just an incredible story."

"Eventually, (Lin's performance) will level out at a consistently good level. Right now, it's absurdly good. The Knicks are rolling; the city of New York is buzzing - it's great for the league."

Reality check

Jeremy Lin and the Knicks lost last night in New Orleans. Leading up to last night's loss, the Knicks had won 7 straight; 6 in a row with Lin as their starting point guard.

Lin finished the game with 26 points, 5 assists and ... 9 turnovers. In his first 7 starts, Lin had accumulated 45 turnovers: a new NBA record. (The previous record was 38, set by Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson in 1994.)

The turnovers are his most glaring weakness. Lin's game is by no means perfect. "If people are to knit pick: He's turned the ball over a ton; he still appears unable to go left and he has some defensive liabilities," said Van Pelt on Wednesday.

I'm not going to make excuses for the kid, but it's important to note he's essentially a rookie (rookies tend to turn the ball over) and plays in the D'Antoni system (Steve Nash also had high turnover numbers under D'Antoni). And really, the Knicks are 8-1 with him starting, regardless of the turnovers.

Linsanity by the numbers

If we're gonna talk records, let's talk about this one: After Tuesday night's win over the Raptors, Lin scored 136 points in his first five NBA starts, surpassing Shaquille O'Neal (who had 129 in 1992) with the most points scored in a players first five NBA starts since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

Some other interesting Lin highlights from the past week:

• On Monday, NBA.com reported that Lin's jersey surpassed that of Derrick Rose as the number-one selling jersey.
• Knicks jerseys are now the highest selling jerseys on NBA.com. Overall, Knicks merchandise is up 200% year-over-year (from Feb. 4-12).
• Forbes estimated (Feb. 14) that Lin's endorsement portfolio could eventually hit the $15 million range.
• Shares of the publicly traded Madison Square Garden Co. rose to 3.8% (Feb. 13) on three times the normal trading volume.
• GQ published an article (Feb. 14) entitled, "What the GOP Can Learn From Jeremy Lin."
• Forbes published an article (Feb. 11) entitled, "Just Lin, Baby! 10 Lessons Jeremy Lin Can Teach Us Before We Go To Work Monday Morning."
• On Feb. 16, Shaq selected Lin with his second pick (third overall) for his team versus Charles Barkley's team in the Rising Stars Challenge set for Feb. 24 as part of the All-Star weekend in Orlando. The game features rookies and second-year players.

The race thing

Above Image: usatoday.net

The U.S. media love an underdog story, but for better or for worse, they have been hyping up the facts that Lin is both Taiwanese American and a born-again Christian.

It's fair to say that Americans are crazy about race and religion. And you can't necessarily blame the media for drawing attention to those aspects of the Jeremy Lin story. Race and religion are controversial. Controversy sells newspapers. And this is New York City, the media capital of the United States.

But it was only a matter of time until the race issue heated up and the media were happy to fan the flames.

Floyd Mayweather tweeted on Tuesday: "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."

A barrage of coverage and debate ensued. For better or for worse.

Mayweather, and numerous other Lin critics are missing the point. So what if he's Asian? What he has accomplished is remarkable, regardless of his race. Sure, it makes it more interesting that he's the first American-born Asian to have this type of success in the NBA, but the Jeremy Lin story is compelling because his success was so unexpected.

He went from walking-on at Harvard to walking-on at the NBA, to being cut by two NBA teams in December, to being picked up by the Knicks on a temporary contract and sleeping on his brother's couch to becoming an overnight NBA superstar.

My buddy Scott just texted me that ESPN.com's mobile site published an offensive, racially charged headline early this morning (about Lin and the Knicks' loss last night to the Hornets), only to quickly remove it. ESPN has since issued an apology.

I don't even know what to say to that, other than whoever wrote that headline is missing the point.

The religion thing

In the press conference following Tuesday night's win over the Raptors, Lin again refused to take all the credit. "It's not because of me," he said. "It's because we're coming together as a team. We started making these steps, but we were still losing close games. But (now) we're winning and we've been playing together. We're playing better defensively and following our game plan. Coach D'Antoni and our coaching staff come up with an awesome game plan every single night."

"Can you believe this is happening to you?" one reporter asked.

"No." (The press room laughed.) "But I believe in an all-powerful and all-knowing God, who does miracles."

Because he says things like that, a lot of people are quick to draw attention to Lin's devout Christian beliefs. In many cases, people are comparing him to another vocally Christian athlete prone to late-game heroics, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

"Because he's outwardly faithful and because of everyone's tendency to use his name in puns, he's drawing a lot of Tim Tebow comparisons," Van Pelt noted. "Let's stop right there. This guy's not Tim Tebow."

Forget about race and religion. Jeremy Lin is a great basketball player having a surprising amount of success at the highest level: in the NBA, playing in the biggest market in the U.S.

People need to just enjoy the story for what it is. He's a nice kid and he's playing well. The Knicks are winning and have become relevant again. It's a tremendous underdog story that reinforces what many of us enjoy about sports.

And if you're not into it, nobody is forcing you to watch. The rest of us are happy to tune in and watch the Linsanity continue to unfold.

Keep it up, J-Lin. The whole world is watching.

***
Allan is Schema's J-Lin correspondent and a lifelong basketball fan. He lives in Vancouver and is incessantly taking photos of his food. And his sneakers. You can follow him on Twitter @poonisms.

Posted by Alden | February 18, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Allan Pulga, Asian American, Sports

The Happy Hearts Love Sharks Contest | Win a Trip to the Galapagos Islands and Save Sharks!

By Codi Hauka

If you love your spouse and sharks, then this one's for you:

The Happy Hearts Love Contest, courtesy of Shark Truth, is a unique opportunity to highlight awareness about shark fining with the chance to win a number of amazing prizes for couples planning to get married. Sharks generally get a bad rep, but vending machines kill more people each year than these incredible creatures. The practice of fining sharks is both wasteful and endangering the species' survival, yet shark fin soup remains a delicacy among Chinese cuisine.

By pledging to not serve shark fin soup at your wedding, you could be eligible to win a grand prize trip to the Galapagos Islands for one week. The HHLC has already diverted up to 17,000 bowls of shark fin soup through this initiative, so if you or someone you know is getting married, this is a chance to promote a great cause that could pay off your honeymoon!

It's as simple as submitting a photo of you and your partner, and it could help save one of the most amazing animals in the world. For a full list of requirements and prize details, please visit sharktruth.com.

Posted by Codi Hauka | February 20, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Activism, Codi Hauka, Contests, Environment

Ethnicquette | The Fork Treatment

By Vinnie Yuen

When my white boyfriend and I visited Hong Kong together, we noticed a very consistent and strange trend. We called it "the fork treatment." Every time we sat down in a restaurant, I would be expected to eat with chopsticks while he would get a fork. We never asked for it. But silently, without a word, a very nice Chinese lady would come by and lay a fork in front of him.

The first time it happened, we laughed. The second time it happened, we laughed again. The third time it happened, we were in awe. To be fair, he can use chopsticks, though not as well as a very seasoned chopstick user such as myself.

It also happens in Vancouver, when we go to restaurants with primarily Chinese customers.

I can't help but think of their gestures as akin to my Asian mother, who would unnecessarily shove things at me that I don't need but yet expect me to use (think three packages of Kleenex before you go to school, you know, "just in case" you run out in the next 4 hours).

I also can't help but picture the same thing happening to me. What if I walked into the Keg and they gave me chopsticks? It's obviously not the same situation, but that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen!

Any of your white partners get the fork treatment when they come to an ethnic restaurant with you?

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 22, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Relationship, Vinnie Yuen

WTF Friday | Tattoo Artist Inks his Cat

By Jocelyn Gan

I love cats. From Garfield to Mr. Bigglesworth, to Salem and Milo—I love them all. Give me any cat, and I will be happy for hours. But I'm not one of those cat lovers that insist on taking their cats for a walk. Or will nibble on cat treats with their furry critter. That's just unsanitary and probably very fishy. I also wouldn't tattoo my cat. Talk about extreme animal cruelty.

Tattoo artist Timur was bored one day and decided to tattoo his cat Coco. Because if I were a tattoo artist that would be something I would do, instead of working on my craft and learning how to spell Carpe Diem. I guess I don't blame him though—if I were misspelling words, I wouldn't be surprised by my lack of customers.

From the photo it looks as if Coco is really pleased with her ink too.

***
Jocelyn Gan is a graduate of English and Communications from SFU. She loves all animals, but her heart is cat shaped. She hopes to release her cat fashion line in the near future.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 17, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Jocelyn Gan, WTF Fridays

Iron Sky | World War II Meets Space Invaders

By Kait Bolongaro

While the Berlin Film Festival is well-known for its more serious films, such as Angelina Jolie's Bosnian war drama In the Land of Blood and Honeyor Iranian Oscar-nominee A Separation, this year a film about Nazis from space has attracted a lot of attention. Iron Sky, directed by Finn Timo Vuorensola, is about a band of Nazis who escape to the moon from Germany at the end of World War II as the Allies are closing in.

The premise is that this group starts a colony on the moon and plot a second attempt at world domination. Believe it or not, this remains a popular conspiracy theory. The film takes place in 2018; the Nazis' master plan starts rolling when a Nazi officer meets an African-American astronaut sent to the dark side of the moon to help a right wing US President—a Sarah Palin lookalike—to win another election. Is it a coincidence that its election year in the United States? Definitely not.

At first glance, Iron Sky doesn't seem much more than sci-fi meets satire with a terrible storyline. The filmmakers bypassed studio funding which may have helped in its production; and the blatant comparison of the power of modern-day US and Nazi Germany falls flat. It has received mixed reviews and I am not sure I would actually see this film (especially since I am not into either satire or sci-fi).

However, the fact this seemingly horrible film debuted in Germany speaks to how the German people have come to terms with their history. While the Third Reich is still a sensitive topic in Germany and shouldn't be brought up in random conversation, an important part of learning from the past is to confront it. The Berlin Film Festival could have easily decided it would be inappropriate to feature such a movie given the location, especially because Berlin was the capital of Nazi Germany.

Apparently, audiences had mixed reactions to the film, but I still think the German people deserve a thumbs-up for having the courage to air this film at their biggest cinema festival. This could serve as a positive example to other areas of the world recovering from war and genocide, and continue giving hope that we learn from our pasts by accepting them.

Posted by Kait Bolongaro | February 23, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Europe, Film, Kait Bolongaro

M.I.A. Graces American Parents with her Special Finger | An Activist or an Evildoer?

By Mehran Najafi

It happened again. Another full dose of public controversy is through and into the veins of American television. This time it came in the shape of singer M.I.A. 's very own special finger, which in its own way upped Janet Jackson's shiny nipple incident in 2004. It was quite the scene. If you missed it by chance, click here and witness the blasphemy for yourselves.

Super bowl halftime shows seems to be the go-to place for cooking up controversy these days. This might have do with the fact that the Super bowl was, is, and probably will be the most watched television show America has ever seen—111 million viewers to be exact for this year's Super Bowl, which officially made it the most watched program ever to be aired in the history of American Television!

But beware, M.I.A! Because now America's Parents Television Council (yes, such councils exist) is not only after YOU for ruining American families with your 'un-womanly' manners, but they are also after the NFL and NBC for letting you go up on stage in the first place!

Somehow the PTC has found a way to turn a blind eye to the daily garbage their kids receive from American television; from the barrage of booty shaking, sex-crazed music videos, to the thousands of TV ads made solely to get into your kids' little heads, to the kill-all blood fest video games they play everyday! They have talked themselves into forgiving and forgetting all of that and now they have decided to come punish you for flipping your special finger for a good 0.4 seconds in front of the public. This is absurdity on a whole new level. In their attempt to moralize the immoral, they themselves have proved to be amoral.

This is not the first time M.I.A is making herself enemies. Ever since the beginning of her fame and fortune, activism has played a big role in her identity as an artist. To this day, she passionately voices her opinion through whichever medium she gets her hands on, about oppressed and marginalized people all around the world, with a keen emphasis on her own people, the Sri Lankan Tamils.

One of her most controversial acts have been the release of her 2010 music video, 'Born Free', that was initially banned by Youtube for its excessive graphic/political subtext. The video speaks poetry of the relevance of colonial attitudes, such as racial profiling and discrimination of ethnic minorities, within the modern context.

I am no big fan of hollow no-good-for-nothing celebrity activism, but there is something about M.I.A that is more real than the people around her.

***

Mehran Najafi is a 5th year student, patching up his expertise in International Development studies in the University of British Columbia. He aspires to be a groovy writer, photographer, thinker, conspirator and DJ. Oddly enough, he likes to introduce himself as the meditative space that sits above the hyphen in 'Iranian-Canadian', but is frequently disappointed, as the people around him like to think otherwise. On his free time, he plays, laughs, spins, twirls, and jumps, up and down, down and up, round and round from one day to the next.

Posted by Mehran Najafi | February 17, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Controversy, Mehran Najafi, Music, Television

No One Wants Your Fish Fillet, Kanye | Mos Def's Parody of "N**gas in Paris"

By Shima Ghailan

Disclaimer: This article is not addressing the "N" word.

Jay-Z and Kanye West partnered up for their latest album "Watch the Throne" which features the ever so popular "N**gas in Paris". Jay-Z and Kanye are essentially rapping about their fame and fortune and the b**ches that come with it. Yes, Jay-Z refers to Beyonce as his "hot bitch back home". The song also features "Gucci", "bathroom stalls" and Kanye "owning b**ches".

The song was featured on many top lists and was, I'm sure, the jam in night clubs.

Mos Def is known for his expressive songs that highlight his political and social justice views. He took this as the perfect opportunity to respond to J&K with a song entitled "N**gas in Poorest", where he spits rhymes about the disenfranchised black communities and the hardships they face as they predominantly live in the "hood" and are subjected to discrimination and unpromising futures. He references gang and thug life where most of the youth are attracted to them as a light of hope and a sense of protection and belonging because of the systemic racism and socio-political structures that are manifested within these communities. Mos Def describes this sense of hopelessness with:

"There's birds of prey, no escape, open-air prison, no pursuit
Ball so hard, who getting faded? Little Maurice in the sixth grade
No mama, no father, role model the dope game..."

Kanye raps about fish fillet.

I get the whole idea of "let's just chill. I just want to listen to a song and be able to bust a move". But, I can't help but feel disappointed that Jay and Kanye have such a large fan base, and that they could take that opportunity to write meaningful songs—music that speaks to real life issues and struggles where many can relate to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that every song should be a tear-jerker. They most definitely could rap about how fortunate they are, but there's a difference between Jay rapping:

"I'm so grateful that I made all this money
B, I can only give thanks, honey"—(copyright: Shima)

And

"What's 50 grand to a muthaf**ka like me."

The only "sh*t" around here are those lyrics and it's "cray" it still qualifies as music.

With lyrics aside, if I attended their most recent concert in December 2011, I would not have been impressed with their stunt of singing the same song 10 times. I didn't pay that much money to hear a song on replay. Or maybe Jay-Z and Kanye misunderstood the concept of "encore"?

I can't end it better than Mos Def, so to use his words, "don't get caught up in no throne".

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 16, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Commentary, Hip Hop, Music, Shima Ghailan

Lost Years | Exploring 150 years of the Chinese diaspora in Canada, USA, New Zealand and Australia

By Devon Wong

I offered to cover the latest film-screening invitation for Schema based on my own interests in documentary film production and my Chinese-Canadian heritage. When I arrived into the theatre, I knew immediately that this would not be the kind of usual guerrilla style, grassroots film product I'd be used to reviewing at local student film festivals.

The room was packed full of a demographic I was unused to seeing in the local film circuit: Asian faces, plenty of them, ranging from ages 30 to 80...possibly older. For an instant, I regretted not taking my father as my date. A group of prim dressed seniors to my right were having an intense conversation about politics that I was only able to understand when she dropped the English word "discriminate" against her Mandarin tongue.

The opening speaker took the stage and prompted the audience with a question he so often encountered as an academic: "Why must we go to the past? Can't we move on already?" His answer: "Because if we lose our memories, we don't know who we are".

From a filmmaker's perspective, I have to congratulate the Producer and Director, Kenda Gee, for the emotive composition, great archival sources, and overall reverent tone of Lost Years. But from a personal perspective, I must also say a warm thank you to Gee, for providing me some insight to my own literal "lost years" of my family history.

With British Columbia as a foundation, Gee uses the film as an opportunity to explore the patterns and stories of Chinese diasporas throughout Canada and beyond. The film focuses on the years between the introduction of the Chinese Head Tax in the late 1800s, until the Act was finally repealed in the late 1940s.

In many ways, Lost Years delved directly into the part of my own family heritage that I'd given up trying to access. I'd never been able to have the conversations around my own family's migration, despite having my great-grandfather arrive in Canada over a hundred years ago. I'd lost the language on the way, and the ability to communicate and understand their struggles.

Gee collects an eclectic, and sometimes eccentric, cast of informed interviewees to elaborate on the various experiences of families affected by immigration from China. From celebrated hockey hero Larry Kwong to refreshingly blunt Gim Wong, each voice offers an individual insight and depth to the formation of a Chinese-Canadian identity. Moments of comedy were punctuated by an underlying melancholy in the unveiling of a deeply shameful history in the treatment of early Chinese-Canadians.

Tune into CBC TV for the television special premiere of Lost Years(2 part mini-series) on CBC TV's Absolutely Canadian this February 18, 2012 @ 9:00 PST

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 15, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Devon Wong, Film

Hey Hoesktra, This is NOT Cool | Controverial Super Bowl Ad "Debbie Spend-it-Now"

By Ada Lee

In just 30 seconds, Pete Hoekstra managed to offend a whole lot of people. It was the former Michigan congressman and current Republican candidate for Senate's aim to offend Debbie Stabenow, his rival in the race, with an ad that branded Stabenow as a big spender of public money. But instead he's got the whole of North America criticizing this ad because of its racially insensitive content.

Why? You'll see why. This controversial ad was aired during the Super Bowl in his local state of Michigan. "GONG!" and all.

This drew criticism from all sides of opinions. Some, like National GOP consultant Mike Murphy, outright pointed out that this ad was "really, really dumb."

Hoekstra maintains that there is nothing racist about his ad. Thomas Costello, president and CEO of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, hit the nail in the head; he says that "Mr. Hoekstra may believe that his ad is just a way to express his political goals. But it does so in a manner that points the finger at Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders for [America's] problems."

Xenophobic messages is nothing new to American politics. Just this year we've already had the "Manchurian Candidate", and now we have the Chinese girl speaking in a horrible mock Chinese accent, smirking over the demise of the American economy. I'm not sure which one I'm more disturbed about: the strong anti-Chinese sentiments that saturate these campaigns, or the fact that the media strategists who developed these campaigns felt that being anti-Chinese was attractive to voters.

I'm sick and tired of politicians using the excuse of being "satirical" or "humorous" in racially insensitive and politically incorrect campaigns, because the truth is they always fail in the attempt. More often than not they expose things more unsettling than being humour-handicapped, too.

Unless, that is, you can do it better than Ali Wong from Funny or Die:

Controversial Racist Pete Hoekstra Ad - watch more funny videos

Or if you could provide awesome out-takes like this:

So thank you, Michigan Senator-wannabe Pete Hoekstra. You spew so much offensive and politically incorrect messages. You encourage more and more anti-Asian sentiments by ostracizing the whole ethnic group. Your humour very weak and your political career go down the drain. Our voices get heard and we expose you as a racist.Thank you, Pete Hoekstra.

***
Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. The list ranges from social justice to astrology. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Ada Lee | February 16, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, America, Asian Stereotypes, Politics, Racism

Dying for Love | Uganda Reintroduces Anti-Homosexuality Bill

By Kait Bolongaro

On February 8, Uganda's parliament reintroduced its controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The proposed bill was originally put forward by Ugandan MP David Bahati in 2009 but was shelved by MPs in 2010 until a new parliamentary session. The act would enforce the death penalty on those repeatedly convicted of homosexual acts. Apparently, MPs of all political colours applauded when Bahati again forwarded the bill. Gay rights activists and human rights groups are rightly concerned.

While homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, for a long time it was an unspoken taboo. However, in the past decade, homosexuality has been demonized as "un-Ugandan", "un-African", and promoted by conservative and religious groups as a corruption of traditional culture by liberal western ideas. Bahati himself claims that he has forwarded this bill to defend the traditional African family.

Now there is a violent movement against LGBT individuals and anyone who defends their human right to love whom they want. Newspapers regularly publish photos of supposed "perpetrators"—no one is safe. Outspoken activist David Kato was bludgeoned to death in January 2010 for leading the charge against this bill. Many activists have fled into exile and fear for their lives if they stay in Uganda.

Countries in North America and Europe have tried to exert pressure on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Many countries, including the UK and Sweden, have threatened to cut aid if the bill is passed into law. This is seen by some as another example of the repeated interference by Western nations in "African" affairs.

This is not just national affair, like taxes or property laws. This bill is discriminatory and violates basic human rights; it is an international issue. It's absolutely absurd. No one should be killed because of sexual orientation. We should all be free to love who we choose without the government monitoring what goes on in between two consenting adults in the bedroom.

Posted by Kait Bolongaro | February 14, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Gay Rights, Kait Bolongaro, Politics, Queer

Top 10 Cheesiest Love Songs of the 90s & 2000s

By Ada Lee

There's so much more to Valentine's Day than the red hearts, lame cards, shriveled roses, and boxes of chocolates. For one, it is Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D)—solidarity to those who protect the cause so vigilantly.

Valentine's Day is also the one day in a year when it's socially acceptable to have cheesy love songs on replay, until your melting innards compel you to re-watch The Notebook and the only relief to this love-sick abyss is to write love sonnets. Every one of us, no matter where you're from and which era you were born in, has a cheese-covered playlist full of warm, sappy, nauseating love songs.

It doesn't matter if they're good or bad, because most of the time people just need a musical cuddle and/or something to send to their lovers instead of an even cheesier Valentine's Day card.

So I present you with a playlist of the love-sick songs in honour of the whole cheesy music industry that keeps romanticized love alive. Instead of digging into the overdone and overused songs of the pre-90s that were the epitome of cheesy love songs, I decided to select from the 90s and 2000s. On my cheese platter are sappy classics from North American, Japanese, and Chinese pop music.

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your cheese forks (or tissues) and let the cheese melt your heart! Here in chronological order is Schema's Top 10 Cheesiest Love Songs of the 90s & 2000s.

10. Yutaka Ozaki — "I Love You" (1991)

A title like that would probably tell you what you're going into. But don't be fooled—this is one of those good romantic songs, and I say this because of Ozaki's unforgettable stage presence and unique vocal cords. This song is extremely popular in Japan and it is still frequently covered by the top pop singers to this day.

9. Whitney Houston — "I Will Always Love You" (1992)

I think this is one of the most well-known love songs in the English-speaking world, and perhaps beyond. Rest in peace, Whitney Houston, and thank you for making this epic love ballad go global.

8. Celine Dion — "My Heart Will Go On" (1997)

One sentence is enough to introduce this song—Jack: "You jump, I jump." It's also one of those songs that I can barely handle listening again after the 90s. I tend to get bouts of nausea when l hear it.

7. Savage Garden — "Truly, Madly, Deeply" (1997)

A combination of rhythmic beat, over-the-top love declarations as lyrics, and wispy singing are the key to a successful cheesy love song.

6. K-Ci & Jojo — "All My Life" (1998)

It's probably the most popular background music for any wedding photo montage on YouTube. Wedding vows are conveniently embedded in the lyrics:

I will never find another lover sweeter than you,
Sweeter than you
And I will never find another lover more precious than you
More precious you

All my life
I've prayed for someone like you
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you

5. Kai — "It Might Be You" (1998)

This song by the Filipino-American R&B group Kai is probably the least known song on this list. The lyrics are beyond the cheese-ometer, but it has a warm smoothness to it that makes it a great song. I don't even mind admitting that this is one of my favourites!

4. N'Sync — "This I Promise You" (2000)

How can we talk about the 90s & 2000s without mentioning the boy bands? The best part of this music video is definitely Justin Timberlake's young face at 0:31. Tears in your aaaaaaiiiiyyyes. Justin Bieber's got nothing on this 90s' classic, baby.

3. Utada Hikaru — "First Love" (2000)

I grew up in the time when K-Pop was still restricted to 'Because I'm a Girl' by Kiss and J-Pop was the way to go. You won't need a translation as the title says it all. Japanese-American pop queen Hikki sings about that bittersweet, unforgettable kind of first love. Aww.

2. Nelly — "Dilemma" ft. Kelly Rowland (2002)

10 years ago, this song hit up the billboards with easy beats and velvety-smooth singing, along with Nelly's faux-bandaid.

1. Khalil Fong — "You look Wonderful Tonight" (2009)

Okay, I kind of cheated here. This was originally sung by Eric Clapton in the 70s and is covered here by the Chinese-American R&B singer in his recent album 'Timeless'.

I feel wonderful
Because I see the love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize
How much I love you

Overdosed yet?

This list clearly doesn't cover all the cheesy love songs out there. So feel free to leave in the comment box below about how your V-Day playlist looks like. Can you out-cheese me?

What will I be listening to this Valentine's Day? Flight of the Conchords' Beautiful Girl. You're so beautiful, like a... tree. My kind of romance.

Have a cheese-tastic Valentine's Day!

***
Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Ada Lee | February 14, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, Music, Schema's Top 10

Sex Ed 101 | What Did Your Family Say When You Asked?

By Vinnie Yuen

Do you remember asking your family members about sex? I do.

As a young child, probably at the age of six or seven, I asked my pregnant aunt during a family dinner at my grandma's house, "When do people get pregnant?" I thought maybe people just reach a certain age and then a baby starts growing inside of you. My mom said it was inappropriate that I asked the question, and I got no answers from anyone.

I remember hearing the word "condom" in Cantonese in a movie when I was nine years old (in Cantonese it translates directly to "safety cover") and so I repeatedly asked my sister and my family, "What's a condom?" Nobody answered me. My sister and cousin told me to stop asking the question. I could sense everyone was becoming uncomfortable.

Sex became something that I could never talk to my parents or relatives about as a teenager and young adult. After all, they had refused to answer my questions before when I was a child—so why would they be open to discussing things when I was older?

Aside the obvious "don't do it until you're married" warning, the discussions stopped there. I had to find answers all on my own, do my own research, never asking anyone.

I often wonder if things would have been different if someone I trusted or loved had taught me those things. Instead, I learned from the pages of Seventeen and what other teenagers posted on forums on the internet.

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 15, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Sex, Vinnie Yuen

Public versus Private | Does Watching Porn Out in the Open Cross the Line?

By Codi Hauka

I would never even consider watching porn in a public place. Period. That's just something with a "private" label printed all over it. I have, however, heard of people going into wifi cafés with their laptops and watching porn, and I have to wonder what people are thinking when they choose to do so. Does their mom have a case of no-knocking-on-your-bedroom-door-atitus? Is this part of some elaborate espresso related fantasy? And if doing this in an Internet café crosses the line, then watching porn in a government assembly is really going for the gusto.

Two state ministers from New Delhi were caught viewing porn on their cell phones during a legislative hearing recently, with the video evidence going viral in India over the past few days. C. C. Patil and Laxman Savadi quickly resigned following the media exposure surrounding the episode, although they maintain that they were not watching porn, but have decided to step down to avoid embarrassing their party. I think they missed the boat on that one.

The ministers caught the camera's lens because they continued to look down at their mobile devices during the meeting, seemingly ambivalent to the importance of the debate they were actually there for. Savadi stated that he was not indeed watching porn, but instead the violent raping of a female in order to adequately prepare for a discussion on the risks of attending raves. I assume this is a lot like how Nicolas Cage utilized method acting for his role as an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas by going out and getting black out drunk for an entire week. That won him an Oscar, so things should turn out just peachy for Savadi.

I'm all for making politics sexier, but in the right ways. Like if Stephen Harper threw on some lipstick, or if Bob Rae sported an ascot (he could totally pull that look off). But not watching porn during a legislative assembly hearing. I know that what qualifies as "sexy" is entirely subjective, but I think that the, *ahem*, activities that are associated with watching porn take watching it in a public space beyond the realm of appropriate sexual behaviour.

The Internet and the myriad of mobile devices readily available make it easier than ever to carry your private life around, from photos, videos, or a personal journal. When you can take your personal activities with you with such ease, the question evolves into one of appropriateness. Certainly teachers don't want students looking at Facebook or Twitter during a lecture because it is a contextual mismatch: mixing your class time with those pictures of you engaging in a rap battle with a pine tree just aren't conducive to learning. Most of us do this to some extent, so when and where to draw the line is a precarious endeavour. If Savadi really wasn't watching porn during the assembly, is just watching videos in this situation taking things too far? I think people would have mixed responses to this, but watching two people giving each other the business while you're supposed to be involved in a governmental debate? I'm going to go with "not okay."

***
Codi Hauka is a fifth year International Relations student with a minor in History at the University of British Columbia, and a connoisseur of pies. She aspires to become a journalist, or, failing that, the heir to the Colbert Report. You can follow Codi's work at The Magpie, a fake news blog she coordinates with an esteemed colleague and friend. The website is in the midst of a facelift, so please forgive its current 1990s level of visual appeal.

Posted by Codi Hauka | February 13, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Codi Hauka, India, Politics

The Linsanity Continues | Unlikely Star an Enormous Source of Asian Pride

By Allan Pulga

It began on Saturday night. I was watching the Lakers-Jazz game with my buddies and suddenly stats from the Nets-Knicks game scrolled across the ticker.

"Knicks defeat Nets 99-92 ... Jeremy Lin: 25 Pts, 5 Rebs, 7 Ast."

My initial reaction was, "Holy shit. J-Lin got minutes." And then I thought, "The Knicks don't have a point guard. I should pick him up in Fantasy."

As of today (Feb. 11), a week later, 81% of Yahoo! NBA Fantasy owners also picked up Jeremy Lin for their squads.

Then it really sunk in. "Jeremy Lin is making it in the NBA. This is unbelievable."

Jeremy Lin has become the biggest story in the NBA right now.

Bigger than LeBron. Bigger than Chris Paul. Even bigger than Kobe. Last night, to the delight of fans at Madison Square Garden, Lin—a 23-year-old, second-year NBA player and undrafted Harvard grad—torched the Lakers for a career-high 38 points. And he did it in style: draining clutch threes down the stretch, finding his teammates for open looks and driving fearlessly to the basket against one of the most imposing frontcourts in the league.

Jeremy Lin is the real deal. All the NBA analysts are singing his praises and the stats don't lie. Since his breakout performance last Saturday, the Knicks have won four in a row. Jeremy has averaged 28.5 points per game in those four wins. On his first start, in Monday's win over the Jazz, Lin scored 25 with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. On Thursday, he dropped 23, 10 and 4 in a win over the Wizards, who are led by John Wall, one of the most talented young point guards in the NBA. And then last night, he owned the Lakers at MSG, the biggest sporting stage in the world.

"Linsanity" is sweeping the basketball universe. I wanted to say Linsanity is sweeping the nation (as in the U.S.), but Lin is just as big of a star in Canada as he is in the States. And of course, basketball fans in Asia are going bananas about him too. Howard Beck of the New York Times reported (Feb. 8) that the Wizards had to issue 15 extra press passes to Wednesday's game, "for Chinese and Taiwanese reporters who came to see Lin, whose parents are from Taiwan."

He's been blowing up Twitter and Facebook. A steady stream of #Linsanity and #Linning tweets are pouring through the web. Likewise, Jeremy Lin merchandise is selling like hotcakes. Everyone is excited, and none more than Asian Americans (and Asian Canadians).

A big reason I believe Asian Americans and Asian Canadians like him is because he reflects a local Asian identity rooted in North America.

I loved Yao Ming, for sure. And even though Yi Jianlian is unforgivably soft, I wanted him to be successful in the NBA. I root for Asian ballers. But I'll confess that I didn't identify with Yao or Yi as much as I identify with Lin. The kid was born and raised on this side of the Pacific by first-generation immigrant parents. So was I. I dig that.

For some Asian basketball fans, and especially those living in the Bay Area, the Linsanity began even earlier. In July 2010, he got his first chance to play in the NBA, when the Golden State Warriors signed him as an undrafted free agent.

Many dismissed his Warriors' signing as a publicity stunt. After all, he was a local boy (he grew up in Palo Alto), in a metropolitan area with a large Asian-American population and—as Beck of the NY Times reported (Dec. 28)—he is only the fourth player of Asian American descent to make the NBA.

We now know—Asians and non-Asian alike—he's a whole lot more than a publicity stunt.

For all these reasons, Asians like him. He's one of us. It's the same reason why many Canadians, even if they're not hard-core basketball fans, cheer for Steve Nash.

One of my best friends, a white Canadian guy married to a Chinese Canadian girl, texted me last night: "I'm buying a Jeremy Lin poster for my son." We have a hero to cheer for.

Here's why everybody else is caught up in the Linsanity:

• Everyone likes an underdog story. Call it divine intervention; call it a fluke; call it karma. I don't care. The stars aligned for this kid to get a shot.

  This season, he went from riding pine on one of the most crowded and talented young backcourts in the league (Golden State has Monta Ellis, Steph Curry and Nate Robinson, which is why they cut Lin in December), to being picked up and subsequently cut by the Houston Rockets, and finally being signed by the Knicks on a temporary contract on Dec. 27.

  That one-year contract, worth $778,000, wasn't fully guaranteed until Tuesday (Feb. 7). It actually wasn't supposed to be guaranteed until Feb. 10, but in light of his mercurial play on Feb. 4th and 6th, the Knicks pushed it though.

  And beyond getting a shot with the Knicks (who were devoid of a true point guard until Lin arrived and 8-15 before this 4-game win streak), their franchise players have been absent of late, which set the stage for Linsanity Week. Carmelo Anthony has been out with a strained groin (he left last Saturday's game versus the Jazz after playing less than 6 minutes) and Amar'e Stoudamire hasn't played since Feb. 4 (he's been in Florida mourning the tragic death of his brother).

  Lin was a relative nobody up until this week. Prior to his contract being guaranteed, he was (now-famously) sleeping on his brother's couch.

  And now he's everywhere. His on-court success watches like a movie. Better, actually

• He's damn good at basketball. The Steve Nash comparisons are warranted. As it was for Nash, there weren't high expectations for Lin coming into college. Lin received no scholarship offers, "despite leading his Palo Alto High School 32-1 record and the California championship," Beck wrote (Feb. 7).

  On the court, the parallels between his game and Nash's are evident, something that is not lost on Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni, who coached Nash in Phoenix in the prime of his two-time-MVP career.

  Like Nash, Lin is laterally quick and shifty and although he's listed at 6'3" (so is Nash), he is crafty around the rim—using the backboard and basket to obstruct would-be shot blockers—weaving in for acrobatic reverse layups.

  He also is exceptionally good at keeping his dribble alive. He probes the defense and is patient upon entering the key. If a shot isn't available, he'll dribble right through and fire a pass to a shooter spotting up on the short corner for an open three. This is classic Nash-in-his-prime ball rotation, something that made mediocre players into three-point threats. Steve Novak of the Knicks (he's hit 12 threes in the last three games) is the new Raja Bell (when he was on the Suns).

  Again, like Nash, his excellent court vision makes him deadly in pick-and-roll situations. Tyson Chandler hasn't had so many easy dunks since playing with Jason Kidd (one of the greatest point guards of all time) last season. And if his defender backs off him, Lin makes them pay. Like Nash, he will hit the open jumper. Lin is shooting a torrid 58% from the field during his 4-game hot streak.

• He's humble and a team player. In his postgame interviews, Lin deflects praise onto his teammates and thanks God for the opportunity. The Knicks are winning. And they're winning playing a style of basketball that is a clear departure from what it was when Carmelo and Amar'e were in the lineup. Madison Square Garden fans have been chanting "M-V-P" for Jeremy at the past two home games.

  Even D'Antoni has made his excitement known after Monday's win over the Jazz:

  "It's fun,'' he said (of having Lin run the point), reported Marc Berman of the New York Post (Feb.7). "You can actually draw a play up and think, 'this might work.' He's a playmaker. He has a nice gait and burst of speed. He kind of settles everything. He sets up guys for easy shots and plays the way we like to play. He has the innate ability to see guys. You can't explain the game all the time and he doesn't need explaining.''

  "D'Antoni wasn't talking about Steve Nash, it just seemed that way," Berman added.

I'm not talking about Steve Nash either. I'm talking about my favourite player in the NBA. I'm talking about my boy, J-Lin.

Allan is Schema's J-Lin correspondent and a lifelong basketball fan. He lives in Vancouver and is incessantly taking photos of his food. And his sneakers. You can follow him on Twitter @poonisms.

Posted by Alden | February 11, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Allan Pulga, Asian American, Culture, Sports

How we present ourselves to society

By Brandon Woo

Sacha Goldberger decided to conduct an interesting photography experiment.

Parks are places where many people go to escape their normal lives, exercise, and relax. Goldberger took note of this and set up camp at Paris's Bois de Boulogne. He approached joggers, asking if they would let him take a picture of them. He asked them to return a week later for another picture. In the first shot, joggers wouldn't be prepared for a photograph. In the second shot, joggers would have known in advance that Goldberger and his team would photograph them.

"I wanted to show the difference between our natural and brute side versus how we represent ourselves to society," said Goldberger. Even with this goal in mind from the beginning of the project, however, Goldberg notes that the effects of the knowledge that you will be photographed were "very surprising."

In some cases, the difference isn't too noticeable. That said, these cases are a minority. Most people change dramatically with the second shot. These people apply makeup. They have bigger eyes and glowing skin (and not because of sweat). They dress up for the occasion and straighten their hair. They look like entirely different people.

***
Brandon Woo is a happy high school student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary whose interests lie in the arts, human behaviour, and culture. If you have any suggestions about something that Brandon might want to write about, send him an email at brandon.woo@schemamag.ca. He'll get back to you.

Posted by Brandon Woo | February 15, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Brandon Woo, Photography

'Hitler Wine' Case Dropped | A Whip to Human Dignity or Just Clumsy Marketing?

By Mehran Najafi

Last week, Austrian officials stopped an investigation initiated against a man found to be selling wine and schnapps with Adolf Hitler's face on its label. In addition, the bottles also included quotes such as "nostalgic bottles of former historical greats." Roland M, the mastermind behind this whole charade, was let off the hook as Austrian officials finally admitted to the lack of evidence that would show him breaking the law.

To the shock of news people and response columns all around the world, Mr. Ronald M. has become the target of endless public scrutiny. What can we make of him? A neo-Nazi? A hell raiser? Or another everyday psycho? An Austrian officer would assure you that they couldn't even find a single connection between Ronald M. with any suspicious groups or activities, let alone with neo-Nazi circles.

For me, the lone thought of the name 'Hitler' sends cold shivers down my spine. For us, Hitler stands as the greatest real-life villain that ever walked our earth; the man whose heart probably didn't beat, whose stare could paralyze a large Indian elephant, and whose mind orchestrated the vilest of acts humanity has ever witnessed. Then, what is it that Ronald M. saw in Hitler? An icon? A spoof? A go at 'good business'? The answer is probably a mix of all of the above.

After browsing the net for a fair amount of time, I ran into the place that finally summoned what I had been looking for: the 5 musts of good branding! According to the site, a brand must be simple, memorable, timeless, versatile, and appropriate.

Oddly enough, if we were to follow such branding logic, when you disassociate Hitler from the colossal historical baggage he carries, he poses to be a decent brand! He awkwardly enough, falls under all those categories, except for the 'appropriate' column, of course. But hey, lets face it. Being controversial these days is the new black! Or else Ronald M's story would not find its way towards news giants. All this thinking seems to suggest that once something turns into a brand, it loses its connotations, its meaning, it becomes a mere aesthetical creature that sets out to lure strolling consumers into choosing it rather than the brand next on the shelf.

The legality of this case beats me left and right in how far branding strategies have gone. Even though this case stands as an uncomfortable test against the notion of 'freedom of speech', it has to be attributed for its dirt-cheap marketing.

***

Mehran Najafi is a 5th year student, patching up his expertise in International Development studies in the University of British Columbia. He aspires to be a groovy writer, photographer, thinker, conspirator and DJ. Oddly enough, he likes to introduce himself as the meditative space that sits above the hyphen in 'Iranian-Canadian', but is frequently disappointed, as the people around him like to think otherwise. On his free time, he plays, laughs, spins, twirls, and jumps, up and down, down and up, round and round from one day to the next.

Posted by Mehran Najafi | February 10, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Controversy, Mehran Najafi

WTF Friday | Bacon Milkshake

By Jocelyn Gan

From the land of the Double Down, Super-Size meals, and 7-patty burgers, you can now get bacon milkshakes from Jack In The Box. Bacon lovers and stoners are rejoicing all over America right now.

I'll be honest though—I think I may have threw up in my mouth a little. Now don't get me wrong; I love bacon and I love milkshakes. I love eating bacon in the morning, afternoon, evening, even at midnight. I sometimes have dreams about swimming in a pool of chocolate milkshake, with whipping cream as my floating device. But to combine bacon and milkshake together? I think my heart just went into cardiac arrest.

But it really seems as if Jack In The Box thought this new menu item through. You see, I like my milkshakes smooth and creamy. Not chunky. Nothing appalls me more than being presented a milkshake with chunks of ice cream not properly blended. So the thought of having to suck a piece of bacon through a straw is hardly appealing. But, Jack In The Box decided to hell with real bacon! They are ditching the real thing and using bacon syrup instead!

For those of you who don't know what bacon syrup looks like, I've taken the liberty to include a picture.

Now when I have my Double Down with a side of pancakes and sausage on a stick, I can complete my meal with a bacon milkshake. Now please excuse me while I call 9-1-1 and inform them to send a paramedic at my door in the next 30 minutes.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 10, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Food, Jocelyn Gan, WTF Fridays

Archie's New Mixed-Race Baby

By Rob Parungao

Archie comics has announced the upcoming storyline for Archie #633. Set in the future and continuing from his marriage with Valerie Smith from Josie and the Pussycats (#632), the newly-weds have a mixed-race baby together. While inter-racial coupling in Archie comics has historically been reduced to ethnic coupling (the black guy and girl end up together, as do the Asians, Latinos, etc.) the writers and editors at Archie Comics have been keen to push the envelope in recent years.

Last year, we saw the release of landmark issue Life with Archie #16 where Archie's high school friend Kevin Keller marries his boyfriend whom he met in the US Military. On top of being a mixed-race couple it was also the first gay marriage in Archie Comics history. In 2010, readers got the chance to witness Archie and Valerie's first kiss, solidifying Archie's first meaningful relationship with a non-White character, an event which well-respected comic scribe Dwayne McDuffie points out would never have happened in an Archie Comic as late as the 1990s.

Further, Archie has never had a child with previous beaus Betty or Veronica, making this an even bigger landmark for the comic. Chris Sims at Comics Alliance rightly points out that "the best part is that while you might be able to call it a stunt from a publishing perspective, in the comics, it's just another simple fact of life for the character that's meant to represent America's typical teen."

Being a mixed-race kid myself, I couldn't agree more and seeing more of us depicted in popular media (in case you didn't know Spiderman in the Ultimate storyline is half-black, half-Latino) only solidifies the fact that multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity will be an everyday part of life in the 21st century.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 9, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Comics, Diversity, Rob Parungao

Top 10 List of Unconventional Places to Make Out

By Vinnie Yuen

As you may know, Schema publishes a sex and relationship post every Wednesday. This week, Valentine's Day is coming up so we compiled a list of unconventional places to make out! I'm sure all of you are pretty sick of making out at Stanley Park.

1) Your high school, because there's nothing like reliving the days when all you wanted to do was make out with your crush. Now you can actually do it. Yay! Very a-la-Never Been Kissed.

2) At dim sum. You'll feel super badass (like you're defying your hardcore Asian mom) amidst the food carts, the loud Chinese chatter, and the disapproving looks.

3) In a bathroom stall. Even if you don't go all the way, it's fun to make people think you are.

4) In the rain, anywhere. It's Vancouver. It's February. There will be a 90 percent chance it's going to rain. You might as well make it a Notebook moment instead of complaining about the weather.

5) While watching a horror movie. Nothing like blood and guts to make you appreciate your date! At least you're alive and not haunted by some lady in black.

6) On the skytrain or the 99 B-line. Ride it from Waterfront to Surrey Central or from Broadway/Commercial to UBC. True love means being able to ignore the homeless guy with the bag of smelly cans mumbling near you.

7) In front of a yoga studio. Distract people from their zen state with really inappropriate public displays of affection. You're actually challenging their practice and channelling their focus. For reals.

8) At the aquarium. Fat beluga whales and sea otters make hearts melt. It's scientifically proven.

9) At a wedding. Upstage the couple. They'll love it! Okay, maybe they won't. Just tell them you're so inspired by their love each other, you couldn't resist.

10) In front of an adult video store. You don't need to go inside! You've got the hots for each other, not the woman with comically huge breasts or the man with the enormous phallus in those DVD's.

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 8, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Relationship, Sex, Vinnie Yuen

To the Moon! | The Grandiosity That Is Newt Gingrich

By Codi Hauka

Who is Newt Gingrich? This is a question I find myself asking with each day the Republican candidacy race continues. The man is an enigma wrapped in a riddle enveloped by mystery, and flip flops between policies and being a good Catholic more than Oprah's diet plan. That's why we shouldn't be too surprised by his recent announcement stating that he plans to establish a moon colony by 2020 should he be elected president. Clearly, Comrade Obama has sullied Earth-America far beyond repair at this point.

Maybe it's the strong gravitational field surrounding his abnormally large cranium, or perhaps his cold, pupiless eyes, or that he kind of looks like a genetically advanced toad-man, but there's something about Gingrich that just doesn't sit right with my morning yogurt. His moon colony idea doesn't alarm me because it seems as ridiculous as when President Reagan announced his Star Wars inspired space shield, but because I think he would actually try and go ahead with this plan.

Gingrich has accused fellow Republican candidate Mitt Romney of throwing around grandiose and empty ideas, as well as being a rich elitist who doesn't understand anything about the real America. Gingrich actually has a point here, but what is truly ridiculous is how hypocritical Gingrich comes off in debasing his competitors. He has an impressive resume of scandal that most Batman villains would be jealous of. If you've ever heard Gingrich speak, you know it's only a matter of time before he begins endorsing himself as America's messiah and the only person capable of saving Western civilization. If that's not grandiose or elitist, then I'm not female.

Gingrich is the epitome of grandiosity. Period. But I can understand why he doesn't think so, and why he thinks that making an American moon colony is a reasonable enterprise—it's because he is crazy. We're talking double straightjacket crazy. Because I don't think he's thought through this whole moon colony idea.

First of all, the moon doesn't have an atmosphere, which would mean having to constantly pressurize it in a vacuum in order to sustain people living there. The highest cost of any space program is moving things out of earth's gravity well, and I can assure a moon colony would require a lot of earth transfers. The next highest cost is keeping people alive in space, which obviously would be difficult in terms of cost, materials and overall anxiety. You also can't grow anything on the moon. There's nothing on the moon. Except the dust. It just gets into everything. And I mean everything.

I think that any country willing and capable of establishing a moon base could do so, not just America. But it all boils down to one resounding question: what's the point? It might reignite the space race and push technology, but it would also be a ridiculous amount of money spent on something highly unsustainable and ostentatious. Gingrich seems to be trying to force feed the fading idea of American greatness down the world's throat rather than embarking on a noble revolution. I say that if Gingrich truly wants an American moon colony, then let him have it, because so long as he finances it out of deep and ethically dark pockets, then the world will be a better place without him.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 6, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: America, Codi Hauka, Controversy, Politics

Safety or Racial Profiling? | Microsoft's "Avoid Ghetto App"

By Ada Lee

Microsoft's on the hot seat for being granted a patent for a new feature under its "Pedestrian Route Production" application. This new app feature uses violent crime rates to map out locations where crime rates are high, while offering navigation around these locations to help guide users safely through neighbourhoods.

That doesn't sound too bad, eh? It was then revealed that the project was unofficially nicknamed the "Avoid Ghetto App". Though the word "ghetto" doesn't actually come up in any of the official documents, this drew heated allegations that the app is racist and discriminatory.

Is it just me, or does the name for the app seem to be straight out of a slapstick comedy? At first, I couldn't quite understand the wave of debates on the app&mddash;is it focused on the casual nickname? To my Canadian ears, the word "ghetto" isn't racially charged. "Violent crime" also doesn't pop up as a race-specific inference. So are reactions based on subconsciously engrained presumptions on violent crime and race?

Sarah Chinn, University professor and author of Technology and the Logic of American Racism, argues that the app got racialized because United States is a "very racist country"; by that she means that when people say 'violent crime', the first linkage the public conjures up is a 'dangerous black man or Latino man.'

Chinn points out that the myth that black men are more likely to commit violent crimes against random white strangers has become "an indelible part of America's racial identity". This app from Microsoft then, she says, will be used to reinforce racial assumptions about violent crimes that just aren't true.

Here's an interesting tidbit: Huffington Post's Black Voices pointed out that FBI's 2010 crime report showed that whites were arrested more often for violent crimes that year than any other race.

In that case, how effective will the app be in improving personal safety? How much of it will work with the racial profiling that's already in place in the public?

Spatial discrimination is now digitalized—there's an app for that.

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Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. The list ranges from social justice to astrology. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Ada Lee | February 7, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, America, Racism, Technology

Booted Out | Outdoor Boots Banned in Pennsylvania Middle School

By Kait Bolongaro

Last Monday, a new ban on open top outdoor boots came into effect in a middle school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Apparently students have been hiding their cellphones in their Uggs boots when they go to class. In a strange move, the school principal, Gail Cooper, decided to ban this footwear style instead of cellphones; students can wear the winter boots to school to avoid the cold, but have to change into a pair of sneakers or lace-up boots before entering the classroom.

The school already has a policy on cellphones. Students are allowed to bring the phones to school, but they must be turned off and kept in students' lockers during class time. If pupils are caught using their phone in class, it is confiscated. For repeat cellphone offenders, punishment ranges from two-day detention to an in-school suspension.

This controversy has created uproar among parents on Facebook. Some parents support Cooper's decision as a school policy. However, most parents are criticizing the move, especially as the school already has a uniform. The comments all follow two similar veins: stop telling me how to dress my child or that the ban should be on cellphones, not on a certain style of boots.

While I support a principal's right to enforce school policy, I agree with the second argument made by parents against this decision. Parents are already facing a barrage of education costs in difficult economic times, and another pair of shoes seems frivolous.

Instead of targeting a certain style of footwear, the school should change its cellphone policy. Why not have the students each label their phones, and have them turned in as students enter the school? The phones would be kept in locked bins in a secure location and students could claim them with their student cards at the end of the day. This seems like the best solution for both parents and school administration.

Posted by Kait Bolongaro | February 9, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: America, Kait Bolongaro

Mark Laita | Created Equal

By Brandon Woo

What do you, me, a pimp, a polygamist, an altar boy, a white supremacist, a marine, an Elvis impersonator, and an Amish teen all have in common? The answer to this question is simple—we are all human.

With his new book Created Equal, photographer Mark Laita explores this concept while juxtaposing contrasting groups with each other—the poor against the rich, the good against the bad, the feminine against the masculine.

You might think "would this not just bring out the differences between groups?" Well, yes and no. In juxtaposing contrasting groups with each other, Laita is also able to highlight the similarities between different groups. A baptist churchgoer and a white supremacist both stand firm in their faith. Amish teenagers and punk teenagers are both still teenagers. A ballerina and a boxer are both athletes. The effect that Laita's work has is not unlike that of Benetton's Unhate campaign. Through his photography, Laita reminds us that we're not so different from each other after all.

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Brandon Woo is a happy high school student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary whose interests lie in art, writing, current events, the human mind, and sex. If you have any suggestions about something that Brandon might want to write about, send him an email at brandon.woo@schemamag.ca. He'll get back to you.

Posted by Brandon Woo | February 8, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Art, Brandon Woo, Photography

We Don't Serve Your Kind Here | Tennessee Restaurant Owner Kicks out Homophobic Senator Stacey Campfield

By Codi Hauka

Quite frankly, I am always shocked when people are homophobic. This is a direct result of my upbringing, with my parents having never defined LGBTs apart from heterosexuals, and that's just how I thought everyone viewed it. Then, just as with all my naïve childhood beliefs, like Santa and the Easter Bunny, I was in for a rude awakening. I cringe when people reference something as being "gay" because to me, it's just as bad as using racist slang. But what's even worse is when I hear about legislation that actively discriminates against the LGBT community, because it's just blatantly and irrevocably disgusting.

Tennessee Senator Stacey Campfield's "Don't Say Gay" law is a recent example of the depravity humanity continues to display on behalf of itself. This legislation prohibits any discussion of homosexual activity in classrooms from kindergarten through to grade nine, in a classic instance of cognitive dissonance. Sorry Campfield, but just because you don't talk about it, doesn't mean it's not there. Hey, maybe he even believes that John McCain won the presidency three years ago!

As much as I wish homophobia didn't exist, I actually wish even more that it wasn't so shocking when people stand up for gay rights. This shouldn't be a rarity, it should be the norm. But, that little white-picket fence of beliefs my parents instilled me with isn't shared by everyone. That's why I'm always happy to hear about like-minded people such as Martha Boggs, a restaurant owner in Knoxville, Tennessee. When Campfield came to dine at her fine establishment recently, Boggs dismissed him faster than a wet dog running into the living room.

Having read some of Campfield's embarrassingly incorrect comments on gay issues, including stating that it's almost "virtually impossible for heterosexuals to contract HIV/AIDS," and how unnatural homosexuality is, Boggs decided that she would not serve someone who would say such egregious things. Enraged upon the site of him, Boggs does not entirely remember what she said or how she approached him, but her actions were received with applause from some of the customers. One patron said that they heard Boggs call Campfield a homophobe, but if that's the extent of the name-calling, I would say he got off easy. This time.

Boggs said that she wasn't looking to be hailed for her actions and just went with her gut, wanting to stand up for the gay community. If only everyone's gut was as reasonable as Bogg's, we wouldn't have legislation like "Don't Say Gay" or the abysmal revocation of proposition eight after the last presidential election. We wouldn't see people like Rick Santorum running for president, of course, we also wouldn't have the new term for Santorum, which if you don't know, definitely can't be discussed here, but that's what Google is for.

Here's to hoping that the events at Bogg's restaurant no longer become a rarity, but even more so to the need for these acts to no longer happen at all, because there's enough room in my white-picket fence for everyone.

Posted by Codi Hauka | February 7, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Activism, Codi Hauka, Gay Rights, Politics

Vote for English! | Smear Campaigns Attack Bilingualism in Republican Race

By Ada Lee

Truth be told, I haven't been following the Republican Race as diligently as a student of International Relations ought to. Thus far only the unbelievable Rick Perry videos have created ripples in my consciousness and received a few good heated retweets. With Perry now gone from the race, I thought things would stay relatively uninteresting until the ultimate Republican VS Obama showdown.

But this particular headline caught my eye. An article on the The Star talked about the issue of bilingualism in the Republican race, and how candidates who were fluent in languages other than English were targeted in campaign ads as "un-American". As it seems, bilingualism gets you no votes and much ridicule in the race for a future Republican President candidate.

Let me put it in some context for you. Smear campaigns are just as common in the world of politics as Helvetica in hipster blogs and Starbucks in Vancouver. So Newt Gingrich's smear ad against Mitt Romney was nothing special. Except that it was interestingly named "The French Connection", and it ends with a stunner: along with all the other faults, Romney - god forbid - speaks French too.

Gingrich insisted that this was just a joke to illustrate the similarities between Romney and Kerry, another politically moderate candidate from Massachusetts. Sorry, G., but I don't see the joke. I love my multi-lingual political leaders—perhaps the ONLY time I would say "love" and "political leaders" together in the same sentence.

To add to the fun, we have another YouTube clip that was reportedly uploaded by a Ron Paul supporter. Jon Huntsman, an US ambassador to China under Obama, came under fire for his fluency in Mandarin and his experiences with China. The clip calls Huntsman the "Manchurian candidate" (props to creative nicknames), and questioned his "American" values, at one point portraying Huntsman as a young Mao. The fact that Huntsman has two adopted daughters from China and India was also included in the video, just in case voters needed more evidence of his treacherous connection.

It's pretty sad to know that having foreign experiences and fluency in other languages can actually render candidates disqualified for some voters, especially when seeking a political leader of such an ethnically diverse country.

In case you're thinking of heading down South and running for Republican office, I'd suggest that you leave your hard-earned skills in Japanese/Arabic/Spanish out of your CV.

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Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. The list ranges from social justice to astrology. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 3, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, America, Politics

Truth Hurts | Social Media Gone Wrong for McDonald's on Twitter

By Mehran Najafi

The idea is simple, really simple. Social media is the new avenue for new age marketing and self-promotion. There are no mind-bending tricks to it other than the fact that you truly have to believe in whatever it is that you are promoting; be it your talent, music, brand, business, cause or just your pretty little face. Its not rocket science. Well, at least for most people it isn't.

Fast-food giant, McDonald's, launched its '#McDStories hashtag' on Twitter in where it humbly asked the world to share its experiences upon visiting one of the McDonald's locations all around the world. Come to think of it, it really was a small favour to ask of your dedicated loyal customers. That is if you have any.

So, McDonald's warms up this experiment with a few encouraging self-directed tweets that read "When u make something w/pride, people can taste it". However, from those tweets onwards, things started to turn sour, and then just painfully bitter and discomforting till the end. Anxiously anticipating the tweets from their seemingly die-hard fans all across the world, McDonald's was, instead, taken for a haunting roller coaster ride. Tweets kept pouring in saying things such as "I haven't been to McDonalds in years, because I'd rather eat my own diarrhea" and "McDonalds scalds baby chicks alive for nuggets." You can only imagine the rest.

McDonald's lost power over its own narrative, at least in the virtual world. What about the moral of the story? Maybe it's in the fact that Twitter users rose up through the animosity and gave a good spanking to McDonalds' big fat corporate bum bum. What went wrong for McDonald's? The mere truth maybe. Perhaps social media, at least in this case, can be crowned as some sort of a cyber hero, activist, or knight in shining armour that ploughed through thousands of electronic corridors, equipped with nothing but the flag of truth and the truth only; the truth that McDonald's is, simply put, crap! Maybe we were too quick to judge the self-loathing and self-worshiping qualities of thingies like Twitter, facebook, and etc.

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Mehran Najafi is a 5th year student, patching up his expertise in International Development studies in the University of British Columbia. He aspires to be a groovy writer, photographer, thinker, conspirator and DJ. Oddly enough, he likes to introduce himself as the meditative space that sits above the hyphen in 'Iranian-Canadian', but is frequently disappointed, as the people around him like to think otherwise. On his free time, he plays, laughs, spins, twirls, and jumps, up and down, down and up, round and round from one day to the next.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 2, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Food, Mehran Najafi, Social Network

Beware the Bacon | Link Found Between Processed Meats and Cancer

By Codi Hauka

Whenever someone tells me that ______ causes cancer, I always respond by saying that everything these days is linked to cancer, so we're just going to get cancer one way or another and we might as well stop worrying about avoiding the sun, eating French fires, and just being alive in general. Now, this is not to say that I'm going to smoke a pack of cigarettes while I lie in a tanning bed for an hour, but I must admit that I am a skeptic when it comes to cancer mongering. I will listen, analyze and then come to a decision, but usually if I hear that something I truly enjoy is cancer causing I do my best to convince myself that it is not. That's why I was alarmed when I read that processed meats have been linked to pancreatic cancer.

It's fairly well known that red meat is believed to increase the risk of developing colon cancer, and I can attest that I love my steak a little on the rare side, but I'm not in denial about the statistics available on this correlation. However, I only indulge in steak about twice a year, but bacon explosions on the other hand happen as often as I can afford the time and money to make them.

But now red meat is a new cancer related buddy, covering everything that falls under the umbrella term of processed meat. That means sandwich meat, sausages, hot dogs, salami, pepperoni, the meat you find in prepared frozen meals, and bacon are all under fire. That means bacon is cancer causing under two different categories, which means I need a new go-to recipe for when I have a hankering for a lot of fat and sodium.

The bacon explosion is not for the faint of heart, nor those who want their heart to continue beating. Photo courtesy of djibnet.com

This link was published by the British Journal of Cancer, which recommends eliminating processed meats of all kinds from your diet altogether. While the risk of developing pancreatic cancer is relatively low, the chances increase greatly for those who consume higher amounts of processed meats on a daily basis. With pancreatic cancer being one of the most deadly and painful types of the disease, the statistics published by the journal are something to seriously consider, especially for people like me who like to save bacon fat and use it later as a delicious spread for other non-bacon foods.

Almost everyone in my immediate family has had cancer or died from it, so maybe that's where some of my cynicism about the disease comes from, but it doesn't mean that I can ignore these studies altogether. Maybe I am predisposed to developing cancer, but I don't think that my fate is settled either, which is why even though I joke that everything causes cancer, I certainly make changes to my lifestyle when the correlation is strong or related to something as serious as pancreatic cancer. I know for some people, giving up processed meats might sound difficult, however I already gave up sandwich meat this past summer after watching an episode of How It's Made. It's worth a look, because not only will it change your mind about what foods you put in your body, it might make you consider that cancer is even scarier than seeing a man in a lab coat cram blown up meat into a sealed plastic skin.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 2, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Codi Hauka, Food

Re-Weibo This Post Please | Chinese Twitter

By Ada Lee

It seems like Weibo is positioned to take over the 140-characters-or-less world. For those of you less in-tuned with what goes on behind the Great Firewall of China, Sina Weibo is China's very own Twitter-like platform. Run by the online giant Sina, akin to Yahoo! and Google, Weibo is complete with tagging functions, hashtags, trending topics, verified accounts, following option, and of course, a 140 character limit.

My first encounter with this service began a few years back, but it wasn't until my year in China last year that I used it extensively. Since then, I've become a Weibo-convert. It won my geeky heart with awesome smart phone apps and its ease of finding interesting users and posts. Some functions, such as a conglomerated reply box and an easy-to-navigate layout, makes it more user-friendly than Twitter. Check out the differences.

Questions of whether Weibo will become more popular than Twitter arises, but really without any real threat; the reach of Twitter is still wider than Weibo, as the Chinese microblogging platform is only still slowly spreading into the English-speaking world.

Be that as it may, Sina Weibo now accounts for 1 in every 100 Internet visits in China. It garners almost 1% of total internet traffic domestically, whereas Twitter only takes up 0.23% in the US and 0.2% in Canada.

One interesting thing about Weibo is its censorship. Sina censors politically sensitive terms of the moment. For example, I tried writing "Egypt" at the height of the Arab Spring and my post was 'removed'. Yet at the same time, I still receive tons of news on citizen activity and to my surprise, investigations of corrupt government officials. I guess censorship is just not fast enough for information, especially scandalous ones.

So, fellow social media junkies, maybe it's time to jump on the Sina Weibo bandwagon—Tom Cruise did.

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Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. The list ranges from social justice to astrology. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.

Posted by Jocelyn Gan | February 1, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Ada Lee, Censorship, China, Technology

Learning From the Shafia Case

By Kait Bolongaro

On January 29, Canada breathed a sigh of relief as Mohammed Shafia, his wife Tooba Yayha and their son Hamed were found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder. They were given an automatic life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The trio was charged with the murders of three Shafia daughters—Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, Geeti, 13—and Shafia's first wife, Rona Mohammed Amir, 50, in an 'honour killing'. The bodies of the four victims were found in a family vehicle in the Rideau Canal after a staged accident. This has been one of Canada's most high profile trials in recent memory and there are important lessons to be learned from this case.

Along with the majority of Canadians, I was very happy to hear about the guilty verdict. The Canadian legal system has given justice to the victims and reinforced that Canada doesn't tolerate violations of human rights regardless of cultural traditions. Human rights aren't only a Canadian value; Islam doesn't condone honour killings, either. In fact, Canada's Islamic community has spoken out against this barbaric practice and violence against women. The Shafia girls were like any other Canadian teenager trying to find out who they are.

This case shows the cracks in government policy. There were two separate calls made to two different child welfare agencies in Montreal about the Shafia family before the murders. The organizations didn't share information and the second was unaware of the first complaint. Now, Quebec has a child abuse registry; but why wasn't this done earlier?

Immigration Canada should also be more proactive. Amir entered Canada posing as a cousin on a visitor's visa; she was actually Shafia's first wife, and a servant for the family. She desperately wanted a divorce, but Shafia refused to grant it. It should be mandatory that documents are given to prove family relationships and that these papers are verified. This is important not only to know who is entering Canada, but also to protect everyone who has crossed the borders.

I hope this is the last time that there is an honour killing trial in Canada. Murder can't be justified regardless of cultural norms and twisted ideas about family honour. This verdict reinforces Canada's dedication to protecting women from these brutal crimes, but the government needs to be more active in pursuing complaints to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Posted by Kait Bolongaro | February 1, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Canada, Controversy, Kait Bolongaro, Religion

Sex in the Media | The Pregnancy Project

By Vinnie Yuen

The Lifetime movie The Pregnancy Project is based on Gaby Rodriguez's real-life social experiment, in which she faked her pregnancy to document other people's reactions.

Gaby Rodriguez also wrote a book under the same name as her documentary. In the book, she explains that her mother got pregnant at 14 years old and she wanted to bring awareness to the issue of teen pregnancy.

Rodriguez angered some people by lying to friends and family about her situation, though her mom, boyfriend and principal knew about the deception. Others praised her for calling attention to the U.S. teen pregnancy rate, which is the highest in the developed world.

Research has show that many girls who get pregnant in their teens are misguided about their menstrual cycles. They think that they can't get pregnant when they lose their virginity, or didn't understand ovulation.

I personally think what Gaby Rodriguez did was great for raising awareness about teen pregnancy. I also think more attention needs to be put on how teens are being taught about sex.

What sort of images are teens exposed to on television? What are movies telling teens about sex? How are educators and parents teaching teenagers about sex? Does only using the age-old "don't do it, you will get pregnant!" warning work?

What do you think of The Pregnancy Project? Will this get the message across?

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 1, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Media, Sex, Television, Vinnie Yuen

WTF Friday | Mom on Toddlers and Tiaras Makes Daughter Diet

By Vinnie Yuen

Healthy body image is hard to achieve when you're in a beauty pageant, especially when you're eight years old and your mom is making you diet.

Jezebel.com reports on the latest episode of Toddlers and Tiaras, a controversial show about moms putting their young daughters in beauty pageants with heavy make-up and adult-like outfits.

One mom put her eight-year-old daughter on a calorie counting diet, while another mom put her four-year-old daughter on a salad diet a few days before a pageant so she would fit into her dress.

The eight-year-old contestant, named Ever Rose, lost 10 pounds on her 1600 calorie-diet. The four-year-old contestant Adriana lost 4 pounds on her salad diet.

Now I've been a chubby kid and I did get criticism from family members and relatives, but I was never put on a diet during my developing years. There is a difference between encouraging your children to eat healthy foods and asking them to count calories.

Posted by Vinnie Yuen | February 3, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Media, Television, Vinnie Yuen, WTF Fridays

Saving Face | Pakistan's First Oscar Nomination

By Michelle Pham

Film-maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has broke historical ground in Pakistan as the first Pakistani to win an Oscar nomination for best documentary in the short subject category.

Her documentary, Saving Face, discusses the social problem of acid attacks on girls and women in Pakistan. The film follows Dr. Mohammad Jawad's work in Pakistan. Dr. Jawad, a British-Pakistani plastic surgeon, works with ASTI, the Acid Survivor's Trust International, a charity set up to help and assist victims of acid attacks all over the world, from the UK to Nepal and Bangladesh.

The documentary takes us around Pakistan as he performs reconstructive surgery on victims of acid attacks. Saving Face is an account of such violence told by survivors going through the recovery and reconciliation process.

In a statement to the BBC she said that she was "speechless" to receive the nomination, which was the "stuff dreams are made of...It has reaffirmed my belief it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, if you put quality work out there, it will be appreciated. I hope I can make Pakistan proud by bringing home an Oscar."

Obaid-Chinoy is no stranger to documentary-making. Her work is focused on social justice and encompasses a wide array of subjects such as the Taliban, violence against women, homosexuality, child abuse and natural disasters.

Best of luck to Saving Face!

Posted by Michelle Pham | February 6, 2012 | Comments (0)

Tags: Commentary, Feminism, Film, International, Michelle Pham, Women

This page contains all entries posted to Schema Magazine's Blog, "Daily Dose" in February 2012. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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