On This Day

國慶日快樂!

Today, Taiwan celebrates National Day, also referred to as Double Ten Day, commemorating the 1911 Wuchang Uprising that led to the end of China's Qing Dynasty. This year’s festivities, which began on Oct. 5 with a concert in Taipei featuring award-winning singers and Olympic medalists, are set to culminate tonight with a fireworks display in Yunlin County, accompanied by a drone show and a performance by singer Nana Lee. The 2024 celebrations mark the first time in eight years that the National Day organizing team has been led by an opposition leader.

News

Trump Organization to build $1.5 billion golf course, hotel project in Vietnam

The Trump Organization is planning to develop a $1.5 billion golf course and hotel project in northern Vietnam’s Hung Yen province. The project, set in partnership with local real estate developer Kinhbac City (KBC), marks a significant expansion of the Trump family business into the Southeast Asian country and aligns with Vietnamese Americans’ growing political support for Donald Trump and Republicans at home.

Key details: The project, unveiled following a memorandum of understanding signed during Vietnamese President To Lam’s recent visit to the U.S., includes two 54-hole golf courses, hotels, resorts and a residential complex. The Trump Organization’s golf course and resort ventures have been crucial to its financial success, with the latest expansion signaling a strategic focus on international markets. “We are excited to enter this dynamic market. Vietnam has potential in the luxury hotel and entertainment industry,” said Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organization and second son of the former president. At present, Vietnam has a community of about 100,000 golfers across 70 courses. Construction timelines have not been disclosed, but discussions with local authorities have already begun.

Go deeper: The conglomerate’s choice of Vietnam as its latest market signals Trump’s affinity for the Vietnamese American community, who lean more Republican than other Asian American groups. A Pew Research Center survey released in May 2023 shows that 51% of Vietnamese American voters tilt toward the GOP, while 42% lean Democratic. This political orientation has been attributed to their unique immigration history, particularly the experience of fleeing communism after the Vietnam War. “It’s just our experience of socialism, and our experience of Communism still remains in our psyche, so that we would prefer smaller government,” former U.S. Rep. Anh Joseph Cao (R-Louisina) told the Washington Post last year. In August, Trump made headlines after visiting a Vietnamese restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, saying, “the Vietnamese community loves me, and I love them.”

Food

“Fresh Off the Boat” stars reunite for McDonald's commercial

McDonald's will be debuting a series of commercials featuring the reunion of “Fresh Off the Boat” stars Randall Park, 50, and Hudson Yang, 20, on Oct. 14, marking the first time the former TV father and son duo have shared the screen since their sitcom concluded its historic six-season run in 2020.

About the commercial: The ads, which also marks Yang's first TV commercial ever, feature light-hearted banter between him and Park about burgers, showcasing McDonald’s new menu item, Chicken Big Mac. The burger, which comes with two crispy tempura-battered chicken patties, officially launches nationwide on Thursday for a limited time. “Sharing the screen with Hudson again was a blast. It was like stepping into a time machine back to our ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ days—except Hudson is like seven feet tall now,” Park said.

How does it taste?: Yang, who is now a full-time student at Harvard, echoed the same sentiment, adding that “the coolest part was getting a sneak preview of the new Chicken Big Mac,” which he says “tastes even better than it sounds.”

News

“World’s greatest living mathematician” shares his thoughts on AI

Terence Tao, the University of California Los Angeles professor often dubbed the "world’s greatest living mathematician," took to microblogging site Mastodon last month to share his insights on the capabilities of OpenAI's new GPT-o1 reasoning model, suggesting that while impressive, it still falls short of replacing human mathematicians. The "Mozart of Math," renowned for his Fields Medal-winning work and contributions to various mathematical fields, conducted experiments and found that while GPT-o1 demonstrates improved reasoning abilities compared to its predecessors, it still struggles with advanced mathematical tasks and requires significant guidance.

Not there yet: In his series of posts, Tao likened the experience of working with GPT-o1 to "advising a mediocre, but not completely incompetent, graduate student." He noted that the model could successfully navigate complex problems with "a lot of hints and prodding" but failed to generate key conceptual ideas independently. Tao shared in an interview with The Atlantic that human graduate students possess the capacity to learn and grow, while AI "sometimes just snaps back to the thing it tried before."  

Promising future: Despite these limitations, Tao remains optimistic about the future of AI in mathematics. He envisions a collaborative relationship where AI tools assist mathematicians in exploring large-scale problems and automating tedious tasks. "You might have a project and ask, ‘What if I try this approach?’ And instead of spending hours and hours actually trying to make it work, you guide a GPT to do it for you,” Tao explained.

News

AI-generated “Princess Mononoke” live-action trailer sparks backlash

An AI-generated trailer for a live-action version of the acclaimed 1997 Studio Ghibli anime “Princess Mononoke” has sparked backlash after going viral on social media. Created by AI entrepreneur PJ Acetturo, the clip uses the English voice acting from the original film while completely reimagining its hand-drawn animation as if real people were playing the parts, albeit with CGI.   

Cheap reproduction: Acetturo claims he spent $745 to generate CGI versions of the beloved animated characters using AI tools like Midjourney, Kling and Runway. The trailer has been viewed more than 4 million times on X/Twitter and has received an overwhelmingly negative feedback. Literary agent Roma Panganiban pointed out on X that the AI interpretation "turns a 15-year-old Japanese girl into a white woman with a smoky eye and bikini tan lines." Actor Swann Grey called out this statement on X, arguing that Acetturo displayed "zero creativity, zero respect, and zero concept of what art is."

Continuing conversations: Acetturo initially took down the trailer following the backlash, citing concerns for his mental health. However, he has since re-uploaded it, stating that the trailer was an experiment to showcase advancements in AI and that he wants to "keep the conversation going." Acetturo defended his project by stating that he was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, the acclaimed director of "Princess Mononoke." Miyazaki, however, previously expressed his disapproval of AI in animation, calling it an "insult to life itself."

Entertainment [Spoiler’s Ahead!]

Hit Korean cooking survival show "Culinary Class Wars" declares a winner

Kwon Sung-jun, also known as Napoli Matfia, won the first season of Netflix Korea's "Culinary Class Wars," besting Korean American celebrity chef Edward Lee in the final cook-off. The 12-part cooking survival show concluded on Tuesday, with Kwon taking home the 300 million won ($223,000) prize.

Underdog victory: Initially a lesser-known chef in the competition, Kwon impressed judges with his innovative takes on Italian cuisine throughout the competition. The 29-year-old chef, who owns pasta bar Via Toledo in Seoul, eventually secured his victory with a lamb and pistachio dish featuring a Piedmont-style Barolo sauce.

Major Netflix hit: "Culinary Class Wars" has become a global hit for Netflix, reaching the top 10 in 18 countries and claiming the No. 1 spot in Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. The show's popularity has not only generated online buzz and memes but has also reportedly provided a boost to Korea's restaurant industry, which faced challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Final Bites

📰NYC mayor’s director of Asian affairs resigns amid criminal investigation: Winnie Greco, New York Mayor Eric Adams' longtime aide and director of Asian Affairs, voluntarily resigned on Monday after over a decade of service amid an ongoing criminal investigation involving Adams. Her resignation comes after FBI agents raided her properties and office earlier this year. Greco was previously put on leave during the investigation but returned to work in May. She has been a key liaison between Adams and the Asian American community, particularly the Chinese American community, and has a long history of supporting him at various events. Adams currently faces serious charges, including bribery and wire fraud, linked to dealings with wealthy foreign nationals.

🗞️CA state senator suggests MAGA responsible for racial slurs on his campaign signs: Signs promoting Korean American state senator Dave Min’s congressional campaign in Huntington Beach, California, were vandalized with a racial slur aimed at the Asian community, prompting an investigation into a possible hate crime. Min suggested the act was influenced by the conservative MAGA movement associated with former President Donald Trump, following a recent rally in the area. He condemned the vandalism on Tuesday, saying, “Hate of any kind, directed against anyone, is unacceptable. Full stop. But unfortunately, we have seen a sharp rise in hate in recent years due to the xenophobia and racism that have come to define Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.” In response, Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark emphasized that no suspects had been identified and accused Min of inciting division, sharing her own experiences with vandalism while stressing the importance of not making unfounded accusations.

🎁Mark Zuckerberg gifts wife Priscilla Chan with a Porsche customized into a minivan: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg surprised his wife, Priscilla Chan, with a custom Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT redesigned as a minivan. Unveiled on Instagram on Sunday, the off-market vehicle features three sitting rows, sliding rear doors and an extended frame, combining luxury and practical family use. “Priscilla wanted a minivan, so I've been designing something I'm pretty sure should exist,” Zuckerberg, who is currently the second-richest person in the world, wrote, thanking Porsche and auto customizer West Coast Customs for their help. In the comments, Chan joked about the added “boost mode,” asking, “For when I’m late for drop off???” This is not Zuckerberg’s first grand gesture to his wife of 12 years — he also recently commissioned a Roman-style statue of her. The couple share three daughters, namely Maxima (9), August (7) and Aurelia (18 months).

🎾Spanish tennis pro accused of racism for squinting photo: Former World Tennis No. 2 Paola Badosa apologized after she was accused of racism for a recent social media post showing her holding chopsticks to her eyes and squinting. The photo, posted by her coach Pol Toledo Bague on Instagram after Badosa lost to Coco Gauff in the semifinals of the China Open, was later deleted. Badosa insisted that she wasn’t imitating Asians but was instead “playing with [her] face and wrinkles.” “I never thought it would get interpreted this way… I love Asia, one of my favorite places, and have plenty of Asian friends. They are the kindest,” she added in the comments. Badosa also issued an apology on X, writing, “My mistake. I take full responsibility. This mistakes [sic] will make me learn for next time. Hope you understand…. I love you all.” Shortly after, Badosa reportedly withdrew from a tournament in Wuhan due to gastroenteritis.

🔍Join the free-to-play hunt for a $380,000 coin hidden somewhere in Singapore: A cash hunt game known as “Hunt The Mouse” returns to Singapore from Oct. 10 to Nov. 9, with its biggest-ever prize pool of 1 million Singaporean dollars ($765,000). Dubbed the “world’s simplest million-dollar cash hunt,” the game requires players to look for a gold coin worth 500,000 Singaporean dollar ($382,500), 175 silver coins each worth 2,500 Singaporean dollars ($1,912) and 125 silver coins each worth 500 Singaporean dollars ($382.5), which hidden progressively across the city state. Players can follow daily hints on Sqkii’s — the gamification marketing company behind the hunt — Facebook, Instagram and Telegram and use a real-time map to track coin locations. To date, over 400,000 Singaporean dollars ($306,000) in prizes has been awarded to 193 winners, CEO Kenny Choi told Mothership. The free-to-play game is open to both residents and tourists and offers additional rewards through power-ups.

📺Angelenos! Check out this Oscar-eligible doc about Filipino nurses now: The documentary “Nurse Unseen,” directed by Emmy award-winning Filipino filmmaker Michele Josue, is eligible to compete for an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The film, which made its New York debut on Oct. 4, surpassed the per-theater average ($10,500) of major films like “Joker: Folie à Deux” ($9,750) and “Megalopolis” ($2,157) during its opening weekend. “Nurse Unseen” highlights the overlooked contributions of Filipino nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the personal stories of these healthcare workers, who risked their lives while facing a rise in anti-Asian hate, and delves into the historical connections between the Philippines and the U.S. It will be screened at the Laemmle Glendale movie theater in Los Angeles from Oct. 11 to 17.