Chinese Politics

Chinese debate Middle East crises and draw parallels to their own country. 

Hackers put up anti-Chinese Communist party mooncakes on government site.

How to handle a Chinese government raid.

Chinese bloggers try to "un-verify" social media accounts to protect themselves.

Charles Xue, Chinese American billionaire investor, goes on CCTV to criticize himself.   

China detains activist billionaire Wong Gongquan on suspicion of "gathering crowds to disturb social order.

How to block a surveillance camera by Ai Weiwei.  

The rise of the nu han zi or manly women in China. AKA tomboys. 

Worth Reading/Watching

Hello, Tailor Spring 2014 Fashion Post

The Surprising Science Behind Napping

Roy Choi's Los Angeles Restaurants

There is Amazon Instant Video for iOS BUT NO LOVE FOR ANDROID???

There's No Excuse For Misogyny In Space - This article is about Riddick and its terrible treatment of Katee Sackhoff's character.

Which brought to mind, Hello, Tailor's review of Dredd, in which she calls it a great chick flick. After reading her endorsement, I watched it on Amazon Prime. It was pretty satisfying on several different levels - it wasn't overly complicated, there was zero angst, and all of the main characters were slowly fleshed out, especially the women. Lena Headey was pretty amazing as Ma-Ma, the scary drug kingpin of the Peach Tree block. Olivia Thirlby plays a rookie with psychic powers, and you can see her slowly growing into her role.

Much better than a bunch of lesbo and rape jokes that centered around Sackhoff's character.

Worth Reading/Watching

8 Reasons People Of Color Must Rally For White History Month

How Can I Eat Well While Working From Home?




Netflix wants to know what shows you're pirating.

Everyday sexism at the Art Institute of Chicago.

W. Kamau Bell Is Trying To Become A Thing

Field Negro Guide To Arts & Culture w/Vernon Reid & Kamau Bell - podcast, also available on iTunes.

Jaden Smith said something stupid on Twitter today, which reminded me of Key & Peele's sketch about him:



Jaden's Mythology from Peter Atencio on Vimeo.

5 Good Sushi Restaurants In The San Fernando Valley

Today, I came across kevinEats' post on Go's Mart, an obscure sushi joint in San Fernando Valley, and it reminded me that there are quite a few good sushi joints in San Fernando Valley. Most of them never make the local media's "Best Sushi In The Valley" lists because apparently L.A. writers don't like to venture further than Northridge for their food. It makes finding recommendations around where I live pretty difficult.

Here are a few places that we've really enjoyed:

• Brothers Sushi: A tiny restaurant in a non-descript strip mall on Ventura Blvd. The service is friendly, the food is good, and there's quite a number of rolls that are interesting and delicious. We especially like the spicy tuna rice cakes, and the kerry roll is pretty good, and the salmon nigiri is always yummy. A warning: I am pretty sensitive to albacore tuna, and whenever I eat it here, it does terrible things to my stomach. I would skip it if you are sensitive. 
• Little Brother's Sushi: If you can't make it to Brothers, this is a good alternative, though I think this one is more popular. It's also on Ventura Blvd, a further bit down. They have almost the same menu. 
• Shibuya: This place is across from Calabasas Commons. It gets crowded pretty fast, and for good reason. It has some great rolls, the nigiri is fresh, and we especially loved their rock shrimp tempura. (It's not always available, so you have to ask for it.)
• SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa: This restaurant just opened at The Commons, so we haven't had a chance to try it yet. We have tried the one in the Santa Monica location, and it's fantastic. This restaurant is a bit more refined than your normal neighborhood sushi joint, and they offer a tasting menu. It's not for those on a budget. 
• SushiEx: Budgeters should go here. This is a little mom & pop place on Vanowen in a tiny strip mall. I'd recommend it for takeout as there are only two small tables inside. As many Yelpers noted, they skimp on the fish for the sushi rolls, so watch what you order. What you do get is pretty good, and they have a fairly large, interesting menu for such as small operation. The owners do not speak much English, so be a little patient with them. They also offer other Asian snacks in front of the register. 

Worth Reading/Watching

Shamed in Edina for using food stamps.

Time Warner Cable admits it lost customers because of CBS/Showtime blackout.  (Note: we totally cancelled the TV portion of our cable last week. Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus are adequate enough replacements for us.)

Bill on unlocked cell phones moves forward.