ERISA TAKEDA WRITES – It was quite a familial setting – he sat at the head of the table over lunch as he recounted episodes in his 83 years of life in a calm but assured manner. No, this was not my grandfather, but renowned Japanese journalist, Fumio Matsuo. There…
STELLA CHENG WRITES – When news broke that Taiwan had not been invited to a United Nations meeting on civil aviation last month, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen expressed strong dissatisfaction and regret. Since Tsai was inaugurated in May, relations with mainland China have grown more ambiguous, affecting the smaller country…
JAY SEO WRITES – Claiming previous laws were so vague as to be unenforceable, a prominent animal rights proponent this summer proposed legislation to once and for all make eating dog and cat meat illegal. It’s traditional among older South Koreans to eat bosintang, a type of dog meat soup,…
YANISA LELAPINYOKUL WRITES – Shawatida “First” Kuptawatin – internet star, noodle restaurant owner, and a transgender woman – is taking a stand against Thailand’s strict social class system. In a September 6 Facebook live video (2 million views and counting), First talks about dealing with rude customers at the restaurant…
RYAN URBAN WRITES – On October 1, a Singapore tech startup bought half of Rolling Stone, becoming the first-ever outside investor in the 49-year-old magazine. BandLab Technologies is a social music company aimed at encouraging rising music artists to collaborate with one another by combining features from Facebook, SoundCloud and…
FASSA SAR WRITES – Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s new Bollywood film, Pink, combats underlying sexism and androcentrism within Indian culture. The film points out the misogynist culture that justifies violence against and control of women. The film, Pink, tells the story of three girls, Meenal, Falak, and Andrea, who attend a…
KATE BARKLEY WRITES – Pens, apples, and pineapples were ordinary items until they came to comprise a PPAP or Pen Pineapple Apple Pen in DJ Kosaka Daimaou’s viral video. Posted almost over a month ago on August 25th, Japanese comedian/DJ Kosaka Daimaou sings about combining fruits with pens in a…
KATIE TRINH WRITES – The aftermath of the South China Sea disputes led Vietnam to look for new partnerships with the U.S., and now – worried – China wants in on the action. This past Tuesday on September 13, Chinese Premier Li Kequiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc came to…
Asia Media International Founder Tom Plate was interviewed Friday Nov, 4 by the Associated Press of Australia about the coming U.S. national elections Tuesday. The key question was, obviously, the probable effect of a Trump victory as compared to a Clinton victory. Said Plate, a columnist for the South China…
KELCEY LORENZO WRITES – In this episode of I Hate To See You Go (K-Pop Edition), Han Sunhwa will be departing from big-name girl group SECRET. On September 26, TS Entertainment, SECRET’s management agency, confirmed that the singer/actress would be leaving the quartet after her contract expires in October. Following…
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Whether it’s Indonesians living outside the country or foreigners in it, everyone’s supposed to follow the laws where they live. Seems simple, but things got confusing recently when the government said residents of Indonesia and its citizens abroad must both pay Indonesian taxes. In July, Parliament approved…
RYAN URBAN WRITES – With such a neat-freak attitude, one would think Singaporeans would hardly have any bugs in its health system. But the ultra-clean rich city-state has yet to rid itself of the dangerous Zika-carrying mosquitoes. Earlier this month, authorities in Singapore reported 151 cases of the Zika virus, sadly…
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – Strong-armed President Rodrigo Duterte might be fresh from victory after the Philippine Senate voted to demote a vocal critic, but on her way out the door Sen. Leila De Lima warned Duterte to not rest on his laurels. On September 19, the Philippine Senate voted…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Six years have passed since FIFA awarded Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup, and there are now six years left until the first kickoff. The first half dozen years saw allegations of corruption, bribery, and human rights abuses flowing in a seemingly endless…
CLEMENTINE TODOROV WRITES — Whether they live in the Global North or South, climate change is affecting the way of life for everyone. While people of the Western world seems to be more concerned about their abnormal weather changes, they are less aware and empathetic towards countries like Bangladesh, whose…
JAMES ROYCE WRITES — Indonesia has long been the premier year-round vacation destination for millions of traveling Australians, especially among those looking to escape high-alcohol prices and expensive party lifestyles in their native home country. From Sydney Airport, a flight from from Sydney Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in…
