BALANCE of CULTURE

Pepper Spray is the New Black

I recently tweeted this blog post title because I've heard the phrase "pepper spray" more in the last couple of weeks than I have in my entire life! Whether we're talking about the UC Davis fiasco, the Occupy situation, the memes online, or various crazy women on reality TV shows (not just Fox News' resident genius Megyn Kelly)-- pepper spray is kind of a big deal right now, if you haven't noticed!

You may have seen many of these images somewhere online already, but pepper spray is at the point where these memes have even taken over a certain Amazon product listing. Sorry, this product is "currently unavailable" and Amazon doesn't "know when or if this item will be back in stock," but similar to the customer images, the customer reviews have likewise been "occupied"...

The first time I personally considered pepper spray was when I began undergrad at USC, and the last time was not too long ago after a freaky incident during grad school…my friends were urging me to look into carrying a small spray in my purse (some of them already did). I never got around to it, but maybe the biggest danger for yuppie college students isn't the random strangers on the street -- maybe it's the "legal enforcement" with weapons intruding our campuses every few decades or so. The expressions on the onlookers' faces above are priceless...

OINK, OINK!

The Next Episode in Asian Pop Music

Google isn't alone in paying attention to what's going down in Asian pop culture these days -- just last night, rap icons Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performed at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards ("MAMA") in Singapore.

The "cornerstones" of West Coast hip hop performed their joint hit "The Next Episode," their first TV performance by the duo in 11 years! The audience was pretty much nuts over them, obviously!

Korean rapper Simon D excitedly tweeted the above photo with Snoop Dogg.

Watch the performance below, the two are definitely considered "old school" but they've still got it going on...

For what it's worth, during the red carpet interview Dr. Dre stated, "It's my first time in Singapore, but it won't be my last!" and when asked if he is listening to any Asian pop music, Snoop responded with K-pop/hip hop girl group "2NE1."

These regional and cultural crossovers are not only a sign of the times, but also an indication of the future. One thing's for sure: these guys are obviously more than welcome in Asia any time!

Yao Ming Continues to Court Chinese Market

Amid all the NBA drama this season, it's good to see that former Houston Rockets baller Yao Ming has been pretty busy since retiring a few months ago.

Ming is now back in his hometown of Shanghai, and very busy -- he's enrolled at Shanghai Jiaotong University, pursuing a timely business plan for Yao Family Wines (his winery based in California), and continuing his charity foundation work, on top of owning the Shanghai Sharks (the basketball team that launched his career).

Once a beverage usually served in a glass of ice in China, serious wine-drinking has certainly captivated much of the Chinese bourgeois and elite in recent years (the vast favorite being French wines). Ming, as one of China's most famous and revered athletes ever, is probably the perfect presenter of Napa Valley style wines for the Chinese market.

Considering he is often credited with introducing the NBA to China -- basketball is now incredibly popular there --Ming's agency between vino and his homeland really seems like a no-brainer! Expect a lot more business ventures coming out of the Yao Ming machine in the future...

(Now that Ming has retired, I wonder how the tallest current NBA player is?)

 

 

Thanksgiving Seating Chart

Will return next week...Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

EU states asking for financial help from their former African colonies

This is such a fascinating story and I bet the Portuguese colonists in the 1500s never would have fathomed this one coming...

Not only is the Afro-Sino dynamic shifting, but the tides are definitely also changing in terms of the relationship between the EU and Africa: Angola's president Jose Eduardo Dos Santos has offered economic assistance to cash-strapped Portugal.

The crazy thing is, Portugal was once Angola's colonial "master" -- now they're appealing for funds from their former colony.

I think the economic woes of the EU have been well documented the past year or so, but this turn of events sure indicates a new era in international relations. (In 2012 Portugal's economy is expected to contract by 2.8% but its former colony Angola expects its economy to grow by 12%, not an uncommon figure for many African states.)

I also can't help but wonder if Brussels' decision to relax its ban on Angola's TAAG Airlines has anything to do with Angola's humbling new offer directed at the EU.

This is not the first example of ironic relational shifts by any means -- recently some Latin American states were looking to bail out Spain, and Italy may be the new recipient of funds from Ethiopia (yes, the country most people associate with starvation!). Hopefully the mainstream media will report more of these realities, but so far they've done a lukewarm job of it.

What comes around goes around…especially when it comes to colonization -- it just takes a while sometimes.

See more on Angola's colonial history.

Nude Support for Ai Weiwei

Chinese netizens have stripped down to their own birthday suits in order to protest the latest drama regarding artist Ai Weiwei and his assistant (more details, as well as NSFW images, on the story).

The Chinese government has recently been investigating Ai for  tax evasion and political subversion, but the focus has now turned to claims of the artist spreading pornography.

Although pornography is pretty easy to access on the mainland, the Chinese government continues to restrict and monitor porn online, recently shutting down 50 microblogs for porn distribution and "vulgar content."

BoC Dérive: 18 November 2011

That isn't just regular cotton candy…there's fois gras inside!

Online Dérive:

AID: Since North Korea didn't accept a $4.5 million aid package from South Korea, Africa and other regions may become the recipients.

MARITIME: Tensions rose this week between the US and China regarding the South China Sea.

NUDE: Egyptian student activist Aliaa Magda Elmahdy has blogged naked photos of herself to protest limits of free expression, causing uproar from both conservatives and liberals.

NEIGHBORS: Australia has a different view from President Obama's take on China.

BAN:

"UNHATE": The latest Benetton ad shows President Obama kissing a slew of world leaders -- photoshopped, of course.

MARVIN: Maybe it's time for a new Black national anthem, one that reflects the values and identity of today (not 1900).

SHOW: The first Kpop Masters show will be held in Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena next weekend.

China Meets Africa in New Documentary

During my research trip to Tanzania and Kenya a few months ago, I was bracing myself for the experience of a lifetime. And it certainly was, on so many levels -- especially the extent of China's influence on the region.

Reading about it is one thing, but to actually witness this in person was pretty trippy: Chinese vehicles (cars, trucks and busses), Chinese manufacturing equipment, Chinese tourists, and even a Chinese restaurant (that had been there for decades by a local Chinese family, I should add!) was in effect…all the way in East Africa! It was a real "Balance of Culture" trip for this Korean American chick!

So I'm super eager to watch this new documentary, “When China Met Africa,” made by brothers Marc and Nick Francis. In 2005 the Francis brothers encountered Chinese workers building a road in the Ethiopian countryside and were immediately interested as Marc had once lived in Shenzhen.

Strong Asian investment throughout Africa soon became apparent to them and they decided to track and film three men in Zambia who represent this "new" wave of Afro-Sino relations. (I should add that China is now Africa's largest trading partner but this relationship had been developing for decades, well before 2005!")

The Francis brothers were right when they felt that the Chinese workers building an Ethiopian road in the middle of nowhere was "the future." China, and Asia in general, is exerting its influence all over the world today -- even in lands and cultures most distant from them. This documentary is sure to have some fabulous footage for those who've seen this new meeting of cultures in person, as well as those who wish to someday experience Africa firsthand!

"When China Met Africa" is out on DVD now. Here's a great Q&A with the directors.

Int'l students, especially from China, ♡ America

The 'rise of China' is now a household topic considering the country's rapidly growing hard and soft power, particularly in the last decade.

Vis-à-vis China's rise is also another compelling circumstance to consider: China now sends more college students to study in the US than any other nation in the world!

[Courtesy: Institute of International Education]

The Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report states that international student enrollment from all over the world increased by 5%, led by the +157,000 Chinese college students in America (up by 22% from last year).

Other interesting international student stats:

Top host university: University of Southern California (USC)

Top host state: California

Top host city: New York City

% of female int'l students: 45%

Top fields of study: Business & management; engineering

The US may no longer be the globe's leading manufacturer but clearly the American higher educational system is still one of the most attractive in the world.

However, a lackluster economy is an ill-fitting environment for such a robust arena of colleges -- no wonder so many foreign students head back to innovate their home countries after receiving their degrees in the US!

K-pop in Huffington Post

My latest Huffington Post piece on South Korea, K-pop, and soft power was published yesterday and also featured on the front page!

My inbox is currently flooded with feedback, so please be patient as I respond to all. Thanks!