Drop the kids off at the pool then drop your kids off at the pool.
Japanese toilet manufacturing giant Toto unveiled today their new Toilet Bike Neo, a three-wheeled motorcycle fueled entirely by human waste. This ridiculous looking bike has a toilet instead of a seat and runs on biogas converted from human feces.
While it remains to be seen whether this is a promotional gimmick or a revolutionary bit of engineering, the project is part of Toto’s “Green Challenge” campaign aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the bathroom by 50 percent by 2017.
The poo-cycle, which also talks and plays music, will log 600 miles across Japan on a promotional tour, starting at Toto’s headquarters in Kitakyushu and ending in Tokyo.
A Harvard science professor who moonlights as a crossword puzzle constructor is the reigning champion on Jeopardy, amassing three-day winnings of more than $100,000.
Joon Pahk, 32, teaches physics to undergrads at Harvard and for the last three years has created crossword puzzles for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. Pahk said he wanted to use his winnings to take his family on a trip to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
Fans of the popular and long-running game show seem to be enamored with Pahk’s vast knowledge, quick trigger finger and aggressive wagering tendencies.
“I’d like to make this a true daily double, Alex,” Pahk calmly informed host Alex Trebek during the first round of Wednesday’s show, putting up all of his accumulated $2,400. Continue Reading »
This year’s Nuart Festival features the one and only David Choe. Established in 2001, Nuart is an annual international contemporary street and urban art festival held in Stavanger, the west coast of Norway.
Los Angeles native Choe joins DVS-1 to create wonderful works of art on street walls. In one particular piece, Choe covered the entire wall – floor to ceiling – with the breathtaking beauty of this masterpiece. The festival runs until Nov. 1. If you can, be sure to check it out. Choe’s work will definitely blow your artistic mind!
Continue Reading »
‘Glee’ Roars Into the World of Tiger Moms, Dads and Cubs
Wall Street Journal
Count me among the legions of Asian American Gleeks who’ve been irritably waiting for show producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan to do something interesting with Harry Shum Jr.’s peripatetic footballer-turned-dance machine, Mike Chang. Really, RyBrI: After two years of back-bench toil as the mostly mute “Other Asian,” there isn’t a performer on the show who’s earned a turn in the spotlight more than Harry. And given the season-opener revelation that Chang is a senior, with little likelihood of sticking around on the show post-McKinley, this season could represent Shum’s final chance to shine.
A Closer Look: Back from Libya
The Daily Bruin (UCLA)
Chris Jeon reminisces about his time fighting in the Libyan revolution and living with rebels.
Rain’s final concert this Sunday
CNNGo
Weeping will ensue en masse this weekend, as South Korea’s biggest pop star and Stephen Colbert’s arch-nemesis, Rain, will perform in the public for the last time before enlisting in the South Korean military. The “Ninja Assassin” star’s free good-bye concert will be held on Sunday, October 9, as part of the Gangnam Fashion Festival 2011.
It is sure to be a tearful affair on both sides: “Concerts to me are like life on a smaller scale,” Rain told CNN Talk Asia in 2009. Rain begins his mandatory, 22-month, Republic of Korea Army service on Tuesday, October 11.
Big Bang’s G-Dragon caught smoking marijuana
allkpop
But did he inhale?
Koreans make their mark in Fairfax
Fairfax Times (Va.)
When Steve Choi and his family moved to Virginia from South Korea in 1974, his sixth-grade classmates wanted to touch his hair, or challenge him to a fight–sometimes both.
“A lot of them had never even met an Asian before, so even my hair was very interesting to them,” said Choi, who now runs a highly successful food service company and serves as President of the Korean-American Association of the Washington Metro area, based in Annandale. “Everybody thought I was Bruce Lee- they wanted to fight me to see if I knew kung-fu.”
These days, Koreans are no longer the novelty they once were in the region. Korean immigration to the U.S. was negligible prior to 1970, but since that year some 973,450 South Koreans have obtained permanent resident status in the U.S. and the Washington, D.C. metro area has the third largest Korean population in the country behind Los Angeles and New York.
The Torrid Romantic Life of Kim Jong-il
Chosun Ilbo
Yun Hye-yong was a woman beyond the reach even of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il. Yun, the lead singer of Kim’s former favorite band Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, was brutally executed after she spurned Kim’s persistent advances and fell in love with another man.
Or so claims Chang Jin-song, an author formerly affiliated with the North Korean Workers’ Party, in “Kim Jong-il’s Last Woman.” Published in May, it is an epic poem that details Kim’s private life and inside story of his regime based on the true story of the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble.
SAT cheaters
Korea Times
A famous SAT teacher in Korea was caught illegally discussing what was on the exam. He used the time difference between the United States and other countries to tell his students what will be on the test.
As students talked after the test, some of them, without noticing, told others that they had known what was going to be on the exam.
Since SAT scores are based on percentages, the other students felt this was unfair and reported the incident to the College Board. All the tests taken in Korea were voided and the efforts of those who actually worked hard came to naught.
However, the worst part starts here. As more and more people found out about the SAT teacher, more and more parents tried to send their kids to him so their children could attain high scores. It is shocking that some parents care more about children’s short-term goal of getting into a good college instead of looking to the distant future of their children.
Korean Official: US will endorse FTA with Korea by Oct. 21
Korea Times
Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon said Wednesday that the U.S. Congress is expected to give a final endorsement of a free trade agreement with Korea by Oct. 21 at the latest.
Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na named ambassador for 2012 Winter Youth Games
AP via Washington Post
Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na will help promote the first Winter Youth Games.
The IOC says the 21-year-old South Korean skater will join Olympic ski champions Lindsey Vonn and Benjamin Raich as an “ambassador” for the games, which will be held in Innsbruck, Austria, from Jan. 13-22.
Jay Park interview with channelAPA.com
channelAPA
Over the weekend at 2011 ISA LA, channelAPA.com had a chance to chat with Jay Park about his music and dance careers. With a huge following in both USA and Asia, we talk about opportunities for Asian Americans in both regions. He shared with us about his strategy straddling the East and West. Jay Park has already release several singles including Single Life, Demon, Bestie & Speechless. He’s even done several collabos like Clouds and Maybe One Day. He might not have an English album soon, but he’s working on new English tracks. In the meantime, he’ll be busy promoting his upcoming Korean film “Mr. Idol” and a Korean album in November.
Photo credit: Theo Jemison
The Tracks of the Bunny Monster
Los Angeles native Jennifer Lee, a.k.a. Tokimonsta, is already a star in the electronic music world. But will her mother believe it?
by Y. Peter Kang
It’s a windy day at the J.W. Marriott Hotel poolside lounge in downtown Los Angeles where electronic musician Jennifer Lee is performing an afternoon set. Lee, who goes by the nome de Tokimonsta, loops the first two notes of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” and then lays down the guitar riff from Dr. Dre’s “Xplosive” with some classic James Brown added in for good measure.
“I like doing fun mash-ups of songs that I know people recognize,” she says.
A friend hands her a plastic cup filled with a shot of Jägermeister. She toasts, drinks, makes a Jägermeister face. All without missing a beat. Continue Reading »
FOR ONLY $28!
Featured Event
It’s the new year, and Yim Jae Beum is coming to town! After a sold-out show in Los Angeles last October, he is coming back to hold two U.S. concerts for the 2012 Lunar New Year. Everyone already knows this man can sing! He’s got an impressive resume, debuting as a rock singer back in 1986, releasing Korean classics, such as “For You,” and most recently, joining and winning first place twice on the MBC show, “I am a Singer.”
Seattle and New Jersey, get ready! We are happy to announce that we will be giving away TWO (2) pairs of tickets! read more
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