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VOL 38 NO 39 SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 FREE 37 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Gates Foundation to honor India’s Modi despite outrage Photo from Stand with Kashmir-Seattle
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Stand with Kashmir-Seattle held a protest at Westlake Center earlier this month, in solidarity with the people of Kashmir in ending the occupation.
see MODI on 11
YANG’s
debate surprise Andrew Yang began teasing on Sept. 10 before the third presidential debate that his campaign will do “something no presidential candidate has ever done before in history.” He kept that promise by announcing in his opening statement on Sept. 12 that he would give away $1,000 a month—$120,000 a year—to 10 randomly selected families as part of a pilot program for his universal basic income (UBI) proposal. “My campaign will now give a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month
for an entire year to 10 American families, someone watching this at home right now,” Yang said. As of Sept. 16, four days after the debate, nearly half a million people have entered the $1,000-a-month giveaway. The contest closed on Sept. 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Cory Booker had the most speaking time during the debate, while Yang had the least. The New York Times reports that Biden spoke for
AP Photo
House panel investigates Elaine Chao for possible conflicts
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isn’t backing down from honoring India Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite concerns about human rights abuses in the disputed Kashmir region. A dozen people, some wearing “Free Kashmir” T-shirts, with the Justice For All coalition delivered 100,000 petition signatures, many from people of South Asian descent, to the Gates
Foundation’s Seattle headquarters on Sept. 16. They want the world’s largest private nonprofit to reverse a decision to honor Modi’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission, a sanitation initiative that improved access to toilets. Local civil rights organization CAIR Washington joined 52 national and international organizations, on Sept. 17, in demanding the Gates Foundation to rescind the award.
Andrew Yang gives his closing statement on Sept. 12 during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by ABC at Texas Southern University in Houston.
see YANG on 15
Chinese parent charged in college admissions scandal Elaine Chao
By COLLIN BINKLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee said on Sept. 16 it is investigating whether Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao acted improperly to benefit herself or her family’s shipping company. Two Democratic leaders sent Chao a letter asking her to turn over documents and communications related to the New Yorkbased company, Foremost Group. Chao’s father and sisters own the company, which transports material to and from China. “Federal regulations prohibit federal
BOSTON (AP) — A woman accused of paying $400,000 to get her son into the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as a fake soccer recruit has become the 52nd person charged in a sweeping college admissions bribery scheme, according to an indictment unsealed on Sept. 17. Xiaoning Sui, 48, of Surrey, British Columbia, was charged with a single count of conspiracy and fraud in the indictment unsealed in Boston’s federal court.
see CHAO on 12
see BRIBERY on 13
By MATTHEW DALY
■
412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com
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asianweekly northwest
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
37 YEARS
■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Mariners honor Ichiro
Maria and Kai attend this reunion every year.
Floyd Cheung
May-lee Chai
The Life & Rediscovered Work of the Author of No-No Boy (University of Washington Press) May-lee Chai Useful Phrases for Immigrants: Stories (Blair) The winners will be formally recognized in November at a San Francisco event. The American Book Awards were created to provide recognition for outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community.
Ichiro Suzuki acknowledges the crowd during a ceremony in which he was presented with the team's Franchise Achievement Award, before a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 14 in Seattle.
The Seattle Mariners bestowed the Franchise Achievement Award on Ichiro Suzuki on Sept. 14. The former American League MVP and Rookie of the Year played 14 years for the Mariners in two stints. He retired following a two-game series against the Oakland Athletics in Japan at the start of this season, after 28 years at the top levels of Major League Baseball and the Nippon Baseball League. Suzuki addressed fans in English and joked that he was nervous at the start of his speech. He told fans he was disappointed he didn’t get to celebrate his final game in Seattle with them. “When I came to Seattle in ’01, no position player had ever come from Japan,” Suzuki told the crowd. “The one you got was 27, small, skinny, and unknown. You had every reason not to accept me. However, you welcomed me with open arms and never stopped, even when I left and came back.”
Overlake NICU reunion
Nearly 200 ‘superheroes’ of all ages reunited with caregivers on Sept. 7 at Overlake Medical Center’s annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Kai (second from left) and his mom with (NICU) reunion. Overlake (third from left) with Overlake staff. The former NICU patients, along with nurses, doctors, and volunteers were invited to wear their favorite superhero costumes. Mrs. Incredible made an appearance. Among those in attendance were 11-year-old Kai Abrahamsen and his mom, Maria Cho. Cho, an attorney and IT expert, had been working at the Gates Foundation when she suffered preeclampsia. She delivered Kai at 29 weeks. He was described as autistic, and was told he may never walk. Now, he is a highachieving student at Billings Middle School.
American Book Awards
The Before Columbus Foundation announced the winners of the 40th Annual American Book Awards on Sept. 10. The AAPI winners are: Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung (editors) John Okada:
KOREAN FOOD WEEK
Photo by George Liu
Frank Abe
Approximately 100 people attended a retirement party for Mark Okazaki on Sept. 13 at Neighborhood House High Point Center. That day was also his last day as Neighborhood House executive director. Vicki Asakura (left) and Mark Former King Okazaki (right) County executive Ron Sims was among the guests, along with former colleagues, who gave speeches. Under Okazaki’s leadership, Neighborhood House quadrupled its budget from $5 million to $20 million, bringing services to some of King County’s most isolated residents and underserved communities.
Locke to keynote speak
Former Governor Gary Locke is scheduled to give the keynote speech at the 137th Annual Meeting of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 19. This event highGary Locke lights accomplishments of the past year and sets the stage for the upcoming year.
Photo by George Liu
AP Photo/Stephen Brashea
Mark Okazaki retirement party
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YOUR VOICE
asianweekly northwest
■ COMMUNITY NEWS David Chen resigns from CRISTA Ministries David Chen, a candidate for Shoreline City Council Position 4, resigned from his position as CRISTA’s General Counsel on Sept. 12. This comes in light of a letter disavowing samesex relationships sent to staff and families of students at King’s High School in Shoreline from parent organization CRISTA Ministries. In a statement, Chen said, “The letter sent by my former employer in July detailing their
anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs made working for them untenable. The positions reflected in CRISTA’s letter are wrong. This kind of discrimination by an organization that is supposed to support and educate students is completely unacceptable. As the father of three young children, I’m proud to stand up for what I believe in and lead by example.” Some have called into question the timing
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of Chen’s resignation. On Sept. 11, the 32nd Legislative District Democrats voted to censure Chen and called for all Democratic elected officials to rescind any endorsements because of his affiliation with a school perceived to be anti-gay. Chen had been with CRISTA Ministries since 2009, according to his LinkedIn page.
David Chen
Bike lanes to be added in Chinatown-ID The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is planning to add protected bike lanes on 2nd Avenue Extension South, South Main Street, and 5th Avenue South between South Washington and South King Streets. Installation is expected to start on Sept. 28 and wrap up on Oct. 13—the work, which is weather
dependent, will take place mostly on weekends. SDOT will install new bike lanes, change the street lane layout, and add new traffic signals. The plan for a Center City Bike Network was launched five years ago. If you have questions about this project, call 206-684-8105 or email ccbike@seattle.gov.
Waterfront shuttle service extended through October
Photo by Han Bui
SEATTLE — The popular Free Waterfront Shuttle will continue daily service through Oct. 31. The service was originally scheduled to end on Labor Day. Additional funding will keep the daily service running, making it easy to get around Seattle’s waterfront. Since it started in July 2018, the free service has provided more than 330,000 rides to tourists and locals visiting Seattle’s waterfront, Pioneer Square, and downtown’s retail core. The shuttle currently operates seven days a week, running weekdays from 6 a.m.–8 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m.– 8 p.m. The service is provided by the WSDOTfunded DowntownSeattleParking.com program and is managed by Commute Seattle and the Downtown Seattle Association. To learn more or find a shuttle stop visit, DowntownSeattleParking.com/Shuttle.
GAME-CHANGING. FREE. PUBLIC. High-quality K-12 options in your area. LEARN MORE AT wacharters.org or call 206.424.2780
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asianweekly northwest
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
■ COMMUNITY NEWS Sale of old medical clinic as part of Keiro closure
37 YEARS
Community hit with sadness, rancor, and hope
With ferns encroaching on its front door, grass growing out of its pavement, and a staircase sinking to one side, the Washington Medical Center building has become a symbol of both the ruination of the Keiro nursing home and a beacon for its future. Last week, Keiro announced it was selling the building, which was once an epicenter for Japanese
doctors, to repay a debt accrued during its difficult and contentious closing. Keiro said it was selling the building to Stan Shimizu “and his investment group.” Shimizu’s family has operated a shiatsu business in the building for three generations. The announcement said the sale would honor the legacy of Ruby Inouye Shu, the first Japanese American woman physician
Photo by John Liu
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
see KEIRO on 15
■ NATIONAL NEWS
City of Seattle Widow sues after plane crash that killed husband secures SPOKANE, Wash. — Just one year after her husband died in a plane crash, a Spokane widow is suing the aviation school that she says is responsible. Hermann Law Group filed suit in Spokane Superior Court on Aug. 30, on behalf of Yuki Lee and her infant daughter. Documents reveal Joochan Lee was taking his first flight lesson at Moody Aviation College when the plane plummeted to the earth, killing him and the two other occupants inside on July 13, 2018. The complaint alleges Moody was negligent in maintaining and operating a 19-year-old Cessna 17R Skylark plane used for pilot training by the school, which caused the crash. “Unfortunately, this tragic air crash is another example of how cutting costs often results in loss of aviation safety,” said Lee’s attorney, Charles Herrmann of Herrmann Law Group. “Ms. Lee was pregnant at
partnership with Lyft, Uber Partnership will provide free transportation to naturalization interviews
Yuki Lee (right) and husband Joochan Lee
the time of the crash, carrying their first child whom Joochan never saw.” The amount of compensation was not specified.
Chinese businesswoman convicted in Mar-a-Lago trespass case FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Chinese businesswoman was convicted on Sept. 11 of trespassing at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and lying to Secret Service agents. The 10-woman, two-man federal jury reached the verdict after four hours of deliberation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the case of Yujing Zhang. The 33-year-old Shanghai business consultant faces up to six years in prison when she is sentenced Nov. 22. The defendant showed no reaction when the verdict was read. She then spoke calmly with federal marshals, discussing what would happen with her legal papers. She smiled at her standby public defenders and was led out by the marshals. Zhang had acted as her own attorney after firing her public defenders in June. She was arrested March 30 after authorities say she lied when she told a Secret Service agent she was there
Yujing Zhang
to visit the pool. That led to confusion over whether she see ZHANG on 15
SEATTLE — The City of Seattle announced on Sept. 10 that it has secured a partnership with Lyft, Uber, and local immigrant-serving nonprofits to help naturalization applicants overcome a recent Trumpera obstacle to citizenship. This new partnership will provide an estimated 400 Seattle community members with free transportation to their naturalization interviews. In June of this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that Seattle-area immigrants applying for citizenship would have to travel hours away to offices in Yakima, Wash., and Portland, Ore., for their naturalization interviews, and even oath ceremonies. Previously, applicants could participate in these steps at the USCIS Seattle Field Office in Tukwila. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, the City’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA), and other immigrant activists feared that this new federal hurdle would impose an undue burden on people seeking to become American citizens, especially people who are differently abled and elderly immigrants. “Redirecting citizenship applicants to offices over three hours away appears to be yet another brick in the ‘Second Wall’ of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda—for low-income applicants without their own reliable transportation, and for the organizations that typically accompany them to interviews,” said OIRA Director Cuc Vu, herself a naturalized citizen. To assist eligible green card holders who lack the resources to travel several hours away for their interviews, Lyft and Uber are each donating $10,000 to see UBER on 12
YOUR VOICE
■ WORLD NEWS
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
asianweekly northwest
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North Korean-themed restaurant in Seoul removes Kim images SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — You can sell North Korean food in South Korea. But you’ll get into trouble if you decorate your restaurant with something deemed praising North Korea. Authorities say the owner of a Seoul restaurant under construction removed signs with the portrait of North
Korean leaders and the image of a North Korean flag from the restaurant’s exterior wall on Sept. 16. The restaurant had been criticized over the weekend after local media published those signs. Police say they are looking at a possibility that the owner violated South Korea’s security law that punish
an act of praising North Korea with up to seven years in prison. Police quoted the owner as saying such a North Koreathemed exterior decoration would draw more attention and help him make more profits.
Popularity of NBA in China seems to create endless options By TIM REYNOLDS AP BASKETBALL WRITER
Kobe Bryant thanked China on his recent Instagram post.
BEIJING (AP) — Kobe Bryant went to China for the first time in 1998, making the trip to Beijing to help operate an instructional basketball clinic for about a dozen kids. The local coaches working with him didn’t know a lot about the game. Barely anyone noticed that an NBA player was in town. Basketball wasn’t a big deal in China. And then everything changed very quickly. The footprint of the NBA has grown at an extremely rapid pace over the last two decades in China, where more than 500 million people watched games last season and where one new streaming deal alone will pump $1.5 billion into the league’s coffers over the next five years. “When I first came here, I never thought the game in China would get to be this big,’’ Bryant said. “But it has. And it’s not going to stop.’’ The possibilities seem endless. Could there be an NBA team in China despite the travel that would be involved? Might there be two-way player contracts between the NBA and the Chinese Basketball Association? What about the NBA constructing a team to play in China or the Chinese sending a team for a full season in the U.S.? Farfetched as all that may sound, keep in mind that 20 years ago no one envisioned the NBA-China relationship to be this big—or that it would keep growing after Yao Ming’s run with the Houston Rockets ended eight years ago. The NBA has academies in China now, and the Chinese national team returned to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this year. “It’s a good question,’’ Golden State
coach Steve Kerr said. “I think the next step will probably come when the next Yao Ming comes. That would take it to a new level, more Chinese players to reach the NBA and make an impact.’’ The marriage between the NBA and the world’s most populous country is stronger than ever. NBA officials say more than 300 million Chinese people play the game and 40 million are registered to play the 2K video game. Thousands showed up this summer just to watch the sons of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James play exhibitions with the rest of their high school teammates. A trade war is happening between the U.S. and China, political tensions are escalating between the countries and it could impact the products of the league’s business partners . But the game itself continues to thrive. “I think sports transcends politics and I hope the NBA can continue to connect fans globally,’’ Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. “I don’t have any reason to think our relationship won’t continue to be positive.’’ Nothing seems to be able to derail the NBA’s popularity. The team that the U.S. sent to the World Cup in China didn’t feature the NBA’s biggest stars, yet drew sellout crowds for each of its first six games. U.S. coach Gregg Popovich was begged for autographs and selfies everywhere he went. “We’ve known for a long time how big basketball has become in China, of course, but all over the world,’’ Popovich said. “It’s an international deal now. There are so many great players in so many countries. It’s not a secret.’’ Stars like James, Stephen Curry, and James Harden have a trip to China on their annual schedules—and when Wade, the recently retired guard who has a lifetime contract with Chinese shoe company Li-Ning, visited this summer one of his events had to be halted after about 10 minutes because the mall where it was happening was overflowing with people. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz has been to China twice this summer, once to promote his brand, the second time for the World Cup with USA Basketball. He sees it becoming an annual stop for him, too—and believes there is no ceiling for the game globally. “Man, I couldn’t tell you,’’ Mitchell said. “I think it’s going to be even bigger and it’s not going to be just China. It’s going to be many more countries. The
(relationship) between the NBA and China has been huge since I was a kid and it can only take off from there ... because the passion and love is so strong.’’ It’s not a one-sided relationship; China sees reason to invest in the NBA. Joe Tsai, the co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, agreed this summer to buy the remaining 51 percent that he didn’t already own of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center from Mikhail Prokhorov in deals worth about $3.4 billion. In 2016, Lizhang Jiang, a businessman from Shanghai, bought 5 percent of the Minnesota Timberwolves, a stake he sold earlier this year.
China also takes immense pride in players like Klay Thompson wearing Chinese brands on the court. (Thompson has a 10-year deal with Chinese shoe company Anta for a reported $80 million.) And China sent its national team to NBA Summer League this past July primarily to get ready for the World Cup, but also for exposure on the NBA stage. “I think it’s good for our players and good for the team,’’ China coach Li Nan said of playing in Las Vegas. “I think it’s good for everyone.’’ The NBA has opened three basketball see NBA on 12
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asianweekly northwest
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
37 YEARS
■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR SEP 19
WOMEN OF COLOR LEADING CHANGE Woodland Park Zoo’s North Meadow 5-7:30 p.m. $65/person zoo.org/leadingchange FILIPINO YOUTH ACTIVITIES DRILL TEAM 60TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER China Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle 5:30-11 p.m. brownpapertickets.com PORT OF SEATTLE’S SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOOKDA GHEISAR El Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Ave. S., Seattle 12-1:30 p.m. RSVP at https://conta. cc/327arpV HAPPY HOUR FOOD WALK Seattle's C-ID 4-7 p.m. 10TH ANNUAL ETHNIC MEDIA MEET AND GREET Joyale Seafood Restaurant, 900 S. Jackson St., Seattle 5-7 p.m. https://bit.ly/2kPWm07
20 WASHINGTON COALITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT WITH MADISON, ANDERSEN, AND BUNTING AWARDS BREAKFAST
Washington State Convention Center, 705 Pike St., Seattle, Room 602-604, Level 6 7:30 a.m. Register at washingtoncog. org 206-782-0393
21 CHUSEOK KOREAN FESTIVAL HONORING YESTERDAY - BUILDING TOMORROW APCC, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma 11 a.m.-5 p.m. asiapacificculturalcenter.org MID-AUTUMN LANTERN FESTIVAL The Quad at UW 5:30-8:30 p.m. THROUGH NOV. 4
PHONE BANK WITH ACRS FOR THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTION ACRS, 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., Seattle 5:30-7:30 p.m. bit.ly/PHONEBANK2019! WASHINGTON NEW AMERICANS PROGRAM HELP YOU APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP OneAmerica, Renton 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free 206-926-3924 wanewamericans.org WASHINGTON STATE CHINA RELATIONS COUNCIL'S WORKSHOP Marriott Redmond, 7401 164th Ave. NE, Redmond 2-2:50 p.m. wscrc.org
21 & 22
TAP-SEA: SEPTEMBER GAME NIGHT IN BELLEVUE Elements Apartments, 958 111th Ave. NE, Bellevue 6:30-9:30 p.m.
NORTHWEST FOLKLIFE’S 6TH ANNUAL SEATTLE CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL Seattle Center 10 a.m.-4 p.m. nwfolklife.org/obn
26 14TH TASVEER SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL SIFF Cinema Egyptian, 805 East Pine, Seattle 7-10 p.m. $40-$55 eventbrite
22 KOREAN MUSIC ASSOCIATION’S 40TH AUTUMN CONCERT UW, Meany Hall, 4040 George Washington Lane N.E., Seattle 6:30 p.m. $30-$75 206-313-1515 OUR STORIES FROM THE CHINESE EXCLUSION FILES Beacon Hill Branch of The Seattle Public Library, 2821 Beacon Ave. S., Seattle 1:30-4 p.m. "END KASHMIR OCCUPATION" PROTEST Gates Foundation, 500 5th Ave. N., Seattle 3-6 p.m.
NARAE 2019: A KOREAN FOLKTALE UW, Meany Hall 7-9 p.m. $25-$60 eventbrite.com
PORT OF SEATTLE’S SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOOKDA GHEISAR El Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Ave. S., Seattle 8:30-10 a.m. RSVP at https://conta. cc/327arpV
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF NEW LEADERS: KIMKHANH VAN & MICHELLE LE New Holly Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave. S., Seattle 3:30-6 p.m.
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IT HAPPENED HERE! STORIES IN HING HAY PARK Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle 12 p.m.
25 USCIS PRESENTS A FREE WORKSHOP FOR CITIZENSHIP TRAINERS Federal Center South, 47356 E. Marginal Way, Seattle 9 a.m.-4 p.m. uscis.gov
12TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST TEA FESTIVAL Seattle Center 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on 9/28 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on 9/29 $15/two days nwteafestival.com
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JAPAN WEEK Bellevue College, 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission
THE PAPER TIGERS WITH BAO TRAN Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle 7-8 p.m. https://bit.ly/2mieOid
28 & 29
CISC AND GFCBW SIGNING FUNDRAISING GALA China Harbor Restaurant 6 p.m. events@cisc-seattle.org 206-957-8542
30 BUSINESS MATCHMAKING MADE SIMPLE AT SEA-TAC The Conference Center at Sea-Tac Airport, 17801 International Blvd., Seattle 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Register at http://bit.ly/ smbizfair
OCT 4
2019 SCIDPDA ANNUAL FUNDRAISER Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave. S., Seattle 5:30-8:30 p.m.
View the solution on page 14
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YOUR VOICE
■ AT THE MOVIES
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
asianweekly northwest
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“Hustlers” Constance Wu in and out of “control”
By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Director and writer Lorene Scafaria based her new film “Hustlers” more-or-less on a true story, “The Hustlers at Scores,” an article by Jessica Pressler published in New York Magazine. The feature film changes some locals, and probably some names, but keeps the hook: Dancers at an upscale NYC strip club learn resilience and sisterhood (or something like it) as they fleece the fat-cat Wall Street clients who come in the door, using, by the end, any means necessary. “Control,” sings Janet Jackson as the film gets under way and the strippers take the stage. Music’s crucial to strip clubs—usually something uptempo, conducive to bumping and grinding—but from the first moments in this film, music comments on the action and sets tones. The story will be all about
control: Who has it, and how. Who can take control, and how. Who gets played for a sucker. And who gets shut out. Constance Wu stars as Dorothy, a young upstart dancer. She’s beautiful and a little shy, desperately trying to hide her inexperience at dancing and at life in general. She’s smart, but not terribly streetwise. The men who want her shout out “Lucy Liu! Lucy Liu!” because that’s the only sexy Asian lady whose name they can come up with (at least, circa the middle of the last decade, when the story begins). She makes her way as best she can—after all, stripping is the one place she can make a lot of money, fast. But Dorothy (soon renamed Destiny) doesn’t have a true direction or a true game plan, until Ramona Vega, played by Jennifer Lopez, takes her under one arm of her huge fur coat. Ramona’s a little older, which put her in a precarious
position at a strip club, where the men tend to skew towards younger bodies. But she puts herself on the map with a jaw-dropping, gravitydefying showcase dance (performed by Lopez herself, without the use of any doubles). The older lady knows all the ins and outs of working the hustle, too. You try not to get in too deep with the customers. But you do what you can to separate them from their money. It’s all walking a razor’s edge. But Ramona has ways to make it entertaining. If you focus on living it up, you forget about the dangers and the moral ambiguities. Wu manages her own star turn, by not trying to overplay anything. From the beginning, Dorothy/ Destiny understands the principle, that she has to be anything that the customer wants—lover, succubus, temptress, sometimes even see HUSTLERS on 14
Access YOUR Opportunity! The Port of Seattle is committed to expanding opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses. Learn more about upcoming events and register to receive information about opportunities in construction, consulting, and goods and services.
LEARN MORE www.portseattle.org/smallbiz
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asianweekly northwest
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
37 YEARS
■ ON THE SHELF
The Ghosts of Gold Mountain are still with us
By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY There are ghosts among us. Ghosts that, if left unrecognized, haunt the living, whether or not we are aware of it. This is part of the message of “Ghosts of Gold Mountain” by Gordon H. Chang, a well-researched work of documentary nonfiction that traces the lives and deaths of the Chinese immigrants who worked on the transcontinental railroad. The book is timely, published this year, which is the 150th anniversary of the day in 1869 when two railroads, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific, met in the middle at Promontory, Utah. Many of us are familiar with the photographs taken on that day, of the two sides, and their respective workers, coming together at the finish line. After years of grueling work, they constructed a railway that ran from one side of the country to the other, thereby facilitating trade and travel. Depending on which photographs you have seen of this great achievement, the Chinese workers without whom it could not have been completed, are sometimes present (minimally) and most times not. As Chang says, “Chinese railroad workers were acknowledged as ubiquitous and indispensable, but they were accorded no voice…We cannot hear what they said, thought, or felt. They were ‘silent spikes’ or ‘nameless builders.’” Even when their contribution is acknowledged, it seems like a paltry prize in the face of all of the other accompanying injustice. Chang set out to give voice to those silent workers and claims that this is “the first book to attempt to fully address the inadequacy, amnesia, and insults that, for a
century and a half, have relegated Chinese workers to the margins of history.” If not silent amongst themselves, they definitely went largely unheard of by white people, except for being the strong, capable bodies that allowed Central Pacific to carry out the miracle of building a railway through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Even if the Chinese workers left written or photographic records, we have been singularly unlucky in finding any. We are talking about “the largest single workforce in American industry to that date...” and yet, to know what they went through, we have to rely upon tangential documents and those put together by the white owners of the railroad companies. Chang pieces together payroll lists, in which the Chinese are invariably misnamed and clumped together, and newspaper articles written with strong prejudices for and against the Chinese in America. He relies upon excavations of worksites where implements of daily life were found, and accounts of other Chinese immigrants who weren’t railroad workers but lived during the same period. At first I thought, do I really need to know all this? Then yes, as you proceed, the book creates a convincing depiction of what life must have been like during that time. What strikes me the most is that things are different today, but not so much. How much progress have we made? At the time Central Pacific was recruiting Chinese workers, white America was growing resentful of the fact that they—say it with me—took the jobs away from white people. Jobs white people didn’t want. Said one California newspaper, “‘Roads have been made, and railroads will soon follow,’ but ‘will the white man, in this country, follow such employments? Never.’” Sound familiar?
Chang relates that companies could not get white workers to do the work that the Chinese would do, for the pay rate at which they would do it. Nor were they as good at it. You can just feel the fear. The fear of the white person of being somehow eclipsed. So tensions grew. Chinese workers were segregated and their lives seemed expendable. There is no exact count of how many Chinese workers died. As Chang discusses, some insist it could not have been a lot, as their being alive was vital to Central Pacific’s bottom line. Evidence suggests the opposite. Says Chang, “The repeated use of the undefined see GHOSTS on 13
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■ NATIONAL NEWS
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
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Philly’s mahjong club brings game to bottle shops, cafes PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sarah Wright stared at the row of 13 mahjong tiles in front of her, each etched with Chinese characters and numbers. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she eyed her opponents’ rows. When it was her turn, Wright drew a tile from the “wall’’— two rows of mahjong tiles stacked facedown on top of each other. Grinning triumphantly, she placed it face-up on the table. “That’s the one I needed!’’ Wright said, displaying her tiles so everyone could see that she had completed her final set and won the game. Everyone else showed their hands. “I was so close!’’ one of her opponents groaned good-naturedly. The players began to shuffle the tiles, which clicked softly against each other, so they could start another game. Meet the founder of “Mah-Jawng,’’ the club bringing one of the most popular games in the world to Philly. The club—which largely plays riichi, the Japanese style of mahjong—began a little over a year ago at Pasqually’s Pizza, Beer & Wine, a bottle shop in
AP Photo
By BETHANY AO The Philadelphia Inquirer
West Philadelphia. It was the brainchild of Taylor Heffernan, a board-game aficionado. As a kid, Heffernan learned how to play the rummy-esque American version of mahjong from his grandmother, but he said he always knew that there was a more complex version played in Asia. It wasn’t until he watched “Crazy Rich Asians”—which reaches its emotional crest during a tense game of mahjong— that he decided to learn how to play a
more authentic form. “I went out on my lunch break in Chinatown and bought a set,’’ Heffernan said. “But the tiles were marked with only Chinese characters, so I had to write the corresponding numbers on them with a Sharpie to make the learning process a little smoother.’’ To round up co-players—four is most common—Heffernan took the tiles to friends in Delaware who were also big board-game fans. They sat down to figure
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it out together. “My friends and I puttered our way through some games of the Japanese kind, mostly doing it wrong, but realizing that there was a game there to learn,’’ Heffernan said. “The rest is history. We really fell in love with the game. It has a lot of aspects that we like in other games. There’s a lot of randomness, but also a lot of strategy.’’ Mahjong became popular during the Qing dynasty in China in the early 1700s. The objective is to collect four “melds,’’ or sets, and one pair from a set number of tiles. Rules dictate how to deal the tiles, how a piece is drawn, the kinds of melds allowed, and how a player can steal a tile from an opponent. There are regional styles of mahjong—Hong Kong, riichi, Chinese, to name a few—but the differences are subtle. (The American version of the game is more commonly spelled “mah-jongg.’’) The game traveled west in the early 20th century and enjoyed a flash in the pan around 1920, when Joseph Park Babcock, an Indiana native who had learned the game while in China, created rules for a simpler, streamlined version see MAHJONG on 12
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SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
■ PUBLISHER'S BLOG
37 YEARS
Cheongsams reveal secrets in my closet
By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY A mid-autumn party invitation arrived. It stated, “Dress Code: Chinese Style Preferred.” While some female guests are dying for the opportunity, I am just the opposite. Sure, I have some nice Chinese outfits, but do I really care to wear them to expose my fat waist? The traditional Chinese female dress, cheongsam as they are called in Cantonese, qipao in Mandarin, is fitted to the body. I cannot indulge in excessive eating with a tight dress. And oh, I need to wear heels, put on makeup, and get myself a pretty handbag to match the gown. Do I want to project my image as a model or publisher?
Like mother like daughter?
When I attend events, I want to eat, especially fine food. But a bloated belly would hurt my pride. It instantly reminds me of my late mother. Everyone raved about how beautiful she looked with the cheongsam. But behind the scenes, it was torture. She would try to fit into a Chinese gown not by dieting, but by using a girdle with grandma’s help. It was agonizing to watch grandma trying to push my mother’s waist into the girdle and then pulling the girdle strings hard so she could squeeze into the cheongsam. Those were awful memories. My relatives remember mom’s vanity and wonder why I don’t wear a girdle. Logical thinking, like mother, like daughter? Don’t get me wrong, I admire my mother’s beauty and style, but never her unrealistic view of it—all physical, nothing internal—never about kindness, generosity, courage, tenacity, and hard work. In retrospect, I now understand the cause of her constant lower back pain.
Where Chinese immigrants get their traditional outfits
Many Chinese women, including me, wear cheongsam only for big occasions like my son’s wedding last year. Where did I get it? Hong
Modern vs. traditional Chinese style
The traditional female Chinese dress is to show off a woman’s sexy and elegant figure. Thank God the traditional Chinese female dress has been modernized and beautifully transformed in China and Taiwan decades ago. The modern-style Chinese dress reflects creativity. Foreigners and movie stars like to wear them. Instead of a tight waist, the modernstyle cheongsam is straight without a waistline. The once tight collar, which made my neck stiff, is now shortened and loose. The old dress also made the rear end stand out. Now, the new style can be loose and straight all the way at the back. A bad figure would instantly be camouflaged. The former slits on both sides of the cheongsam can be eliminated, depending on the individual’s preference. When the slits are higher up from the waist, the cheongsam becomes the Vietnamese traditional dress called ao dai. There are similarities between Chinese and Vietnamese female dresses. It also means liberation for us Chinese women because the Chinese dress can be made into two pieces—a
Guests wearing cheongsams.
top and pants.
Photos by George Liu
Dr. Xue Zhong Wang and wife Xue Jun Feng wearing Chinese outfits at the Southport Mid-Autumn party.
Kong, where I was raised. Chinese immigrants would go back to Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan to get their traditional clothes made for special occasions, at a fraction of the original price. The savings cover even the cost of a plane ticket. Now, there are skilled immigrant tailors in Seattle, who can sew Chinese dresses. My mom would have loved to share in the joy of shopping with me for my son’s wedding. It was sad she couldn’t as she was in the hospital. My aunt took me to a retail district specializing in bridalwear in Kowloon. Shops supply not only for brides and grooms, but bridesmaids, groomsmen, in-laws, and other family members. From clothes to shoes, handbags to jewelry, decorations to tea sets for the traditional Chinese and Western wedding ceremonies, you name it, the shops sell them all. I bought one used green sequined cheongsam. It‘s the only dress with that color and style in the shop. It was amazing what the shop did. The tailor unstitched and altered the whole dress to fit me in three days. The price was slightly under $500. Had I gone to China, it would be half the price for a brand new dress. Here is the irony: How many times would I wear it? Probably, once. When my other son gets married, I most likely will get a new cheongsam made for his wedding. In name, my old Chinese dresses were made in Hong Kong. In reality, several were made in China as shop owners sent my measurements back to China for cheaper labor and materials. The collaboration between Hong Kong and Chinese merchants across the border town, Shenzhen, has worked well over the years. However, the current protests in Hong Kong would have disrupted commerce between the two sides, affecting many small businesses who rely on the system for their livelihood.
Why I keep Chinese dresses without wearing them
I love those Chinese pant suits where I can move freely. I have a couple of two-piece ensembles in my closet. In all, I guess I have 11 Chinese outfits. The sad part is, I haven’t worn them for the past five years, and most for more than a decade. Why do I leave them hanging cold and lonely in my closet? Am I silly or what? The truth is, like most, I have not been honest with myself that those beautiful cheongsams no longer fit me, nor do they suit my current see BLOG on 15
Host of the Mid-Autumn party, Min Christ (right) and Lulu Yi wearing a cheongsam.
Min Christ and husband, Michael, wearing Chinese outfits.
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
YOUR VOICE
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Ode to Mark Okazaki
Mark, Mark, Leader of our fearless ark. You’ve guided us through a three-inch binder of Head Start despair, Only to come out the other end with a bit more grey hair. When we were facing cuts and more than one economic downturn, You inspired us to do our best thinking and to quickly learn. I will forever remember those first few formative years, While working together and facing our personal fears - Of failure or success, That only working as a team could address. We became more than a group of leaders, We became the stuff that inspires a generation of readers. You were never too shy to share the good or the bad, Every so often we’d be relegated to thinking “Oh not again Dad”. Truthfully, you lead us with all of your heart, passion and soul, That no one could deny your leadership role. You even took a chance on hiring me, Sight unseen and naive of what might be. But we had a chance to prove to each other, That trust, vulnerability and belief in one another,
MODI from 1 Masih Fouladi, CAIR Washington’s executive director, said, “This award will further normalize PM Modi’s violent human rights violations in Kashmir, Assam, Gujarat, and other parts of India.” University of Washington student Maryam Gani’s parents are traveling to Kashmir to visit her grandmother, who was recently widowed. Gani is worried for their safety. She called the Gates award a “slap in the face” and ironic given the foundation’s stated belief that “all lives have equal value.” “They are essentially flushing the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people down the drain by ...this award,” Gani said. Priya Rai, a community organizer at API Chiya and a Hindu-Indian American who joined the meetings with the foundation, is shocked by the award. “The Gates Foundation is not living up to its principles,” Priya said. “It talks about holding governments accountable for their human rights records, yet here it is rewarding a serial human rights abuser.” On Sept. 13, three Nobel Peace Prize winners—Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Karman, and Mairead Maguire—co-signed a protest letter addressed to Bill and Melinda Gates. “Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India has descended into dangerous and deadly chaos that has consistently undermined human rights, democracy,” they wrote. “This is particularly troubling to us as the stated mission of your foundation is to preserve life and fight inequity.” The letter urges the Gates Foundation to withdraw the award to “send a clear and powerful message that [it] takes its aim of equity, justice, and human rights for all seriously — and that it is committed to promoting these values in a consistent fashion.” Modi’s Hindu nationalist-led government presented an order in Parliament on Aug. 5 revoking the autonomy of India’s only Muslimmajority state. It has imposed tighter
That thinking of you leaving, brings sniffles, sobs and tears. But knowing deep down that you live and breathe justice for all, Is solace to know that you would never let any of us fall.
Photos by George Liu
■ LETTER
asianweekly northwest
Ray Li pays tribute and hugs former boss Mark Okazaki
Can lead to great things like a building or two, Or launching new programs that we would never have guessed - me or you. I have appreciated your kind words of support and wisdom over the years,
controls on India’s side of Kashmir, including limiting internet access, mobile and landline phones, and cable TV in the disputed region home to 12.5 million people. The Gates Foundation emailed a statement to the Northwest Asian Weekly, saying it respects the views of petitioners, but Modi will receive its annual Goalkeepers Global Goals Award. The statement said, “Before the Swachh Bharat mission, over 500 million people in India did not have access to safe sanitation, and now, the majority do. There is still a long way to go, but the impacts of access to sanitation in India are already being realized. The Swachh Bharat Mission can serve as a model for other countries around the world that urgently need to improve access to sanitation for the world’s poorest.” Debadutta Dash, co-chair of the Washington State India Trade Relations Action Committee, stated that the award to Modi on Swachh Bharat “has nothing to do with what certain section of media is demanding. The demands appear to be very naive and childish or as if part of an anti-
While we sometimes wondered what you wanted from us, we owe you a great debt of gratitude For giving us the room and the latitude To do what is best for our families and communities, And to do that with your blessing, support and sometimes profanities. From the young to the old, You made sure they were all included in our fold. When you look back I hope you are proud, Of the accomplishments and lives affected – each represented by those in this crowd. Our founding mothers would be moved by what you have done, Especially to know that you always work in the phrase “Tikkun Olum” Your impact in the hundreds, in the thousands have left an indelible mark, I just have to say how grateful I am, how grateful we are, to have been on your ark. Thank you Mark.
Modi political propaganda, which isn’t new.” In an email to the Northwest Asian Weekly, Dash said Kashmir has been and still is an integral part of India. “The Indian government has allocated a good portion of its annual budget every year since 1950 for the state of Kashmir,” Dash said. “But the funds never reached the common people as temporary Articles (370 and 35A) of the Indian constitution were abused by the local politicians of Kashmir.” Dash said the Modi government repealed those temporary articles by a two-thirds majority vote. “It was not done unilaterally.” He added that the recent curfew and communication cut-off is part of a temporary enforcement and no civilian casualties have taken place. The Gates Foundation’s annual event, focusing on global inequality, on Sept. 24 and 25 coincides with the United Nations General Assembly gathering and has drawn bigname politicians and celebrities, from former President Barack Obama to Ed Sheeran. However, the Gates Foundation confirmed that actors Jameela Jamil and Riz Ahmed
have dropped out of its event. Modi will be in the United States next week to receive the foundation’s award. He will also attend a rally with President Donald Trump in Houston. The White House said Trump will use the “Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures” event to “emphasize the strong ties between the people of the United States and India” and reaffirm the two countries’ strategic partnership. Houston will be the first stop in Modi’s week-long trip to the United States. Apart from addressing the United Nations’ Climate Action Summit in New York on Sept. 23, Modi is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27. We reached out to state lawmakers of South Asian descent for comment. State Sen. Mona Das and state Rep. Vandana Slatter were unavailable, while State Sen. Manka Dhingra did not respond to our inquiry. Stand with Kashmir-Seattle will hold a protest in front of the Gates Foundation on Sept. 22 from 3-6 p.m.
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SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 Emilianowicz had taught himself Hong Kong-style mahjong using a set a relative gave him when he was a kid. Before joining the Philly club, he regularly traveled to New York to play with fellow mahjong lovers. “When I first started going to the Philly club, I could tell that these were some folks who really wanted to make this work,’’ Emilianowicz said. “Taylor had the spirit and the drive to get a club like this off the ground. I always thought of it as a niche game, and I was wowed by how many people started to show up.’’ This March, the club attended their first tournament, the Rochester Riichi Open in upstate New York. One of their club members wound up winning, and the rest got a taste of what it was like to play competitively. “We were terrible at the Rochester tournament. But we were encouraged,’’ Emilianowicz said. “We wanted to be as good as those people we had run into. So our time together has been about honest growth and honest correction. You can be nice and still tell someone they could’ve done something better.’’ The club’s efforts to become sharper competitors have yielded results: Heffernan was invited to another tournament in Los Angeles, and Emilianowicz plans to check out an invite-only riichi boot camp in Japan later
MAHJONG from 9 that was easier for Westerners to play. Abercrombie & Fitch started importing mahjong sets and by some accounts sold 40,000 sets over a decade. Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers got in on the action, too, but the fad had significantly simmered down by the Great Depression. While there are several active national mahjong organizations in the U.S. today, none holds an American-style national tournament. A few months after Heffernan mastered riichi mahjong, he went to Pasqually’s and asked if he and his friends could play there. “Mahjong needs to be played on square tables and I noticed that Pasqually’s had a bunch of those,’’ Heffernan said. “I didn’t really have a mahjong club at the time, so it was more like, ‘If I show up with my friends and some mahjong tiles and buy some pizza and beer, can we play mahjong? And the owners were like, ‘Sure, I guess.’’’ Heffernan posted on Philadelphia’s subreddit looking for other players. He eventually found four to five fellow players who were willing to meet up on a regular basis, including Vinnie Emilianowicz, a business analyst from West Chester.
CHAO from 1 employees from using their public offices for ‘the private gain of friends, relatives or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a non-governmental capacity,’ ” the lawmakers wrote in a seven-page letter to Chao. The New York Times and Politico have reported that Chao may have used her Cabinet position to benefit the company and increase its influence and status with the Chinese government. China has extended hundreds of millions of dollars in low-interest loans to the company for the purchase of foreign-flagged ships. Chao has denied wrongdoing. Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois said they are examining Chao’s
UBER from 4 support: The purchase of train or bus tickets for immigrant applicants, or To subsidize mileage costs for applicants, or For community-based organization staff accompanying applicants to interviews. Lyft and Uber are also each provid-
statements and actions and whether she complied with ethics rules. Cummings chairs the Oversight panel, while Krishnamoorthi heads an economic and consumer policy subcommittee. A Transportation Department spokesman said that the department has received a letter seeking information on a variety of topics based on publicly available information and news coverage. “We look forward to responding to the committee’s request,” said spokesman Stephen Bradford. “Media attacks targeting the secretary’s family are stale and only attempt to undermine her long career of public service.” The committee also asked Chao about her failure to sell off holdings in Vulcan Materials Co., one of the nation’s largest construction companies,
ing 700 unique $10 ride codes, which can be used for rides to and from the bus or train station in Seattle and between the station and the USCIS office in Portland and Yakima. OIRA is distributing these funds through 20 existing community-based partners in the New Citizen Campaign and New Citizen Program. Both services focus on helping vulnerable Seattle area residents become U.S. citizens.
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this year. But on a recent Wednesday, Emilianowicz was more focused on teaching newbies the basics than helping his fellow club members up their game. He’s passionate about expanding the game’s popularity. “It’s like a puzzle,’’ he said. “The more players we get in the U.S., the more the game can gain a footing and the U.S. can have a real presence in the world’s market for mahjong.’’ One of the attendees was Danny Senh, a manager at Comcast. Like Wright, he had seen the event on Facebook and decided to check it out with his girlfriend, who had never played mahjong before and wanted to learn. Senh learned Hong Kong-style mahjong when he was 10 years old from his mom’s side of the family. While the adults worked, he practiced at home with his cousins. “What probably draws me to the game the most is that it reminds me of all the times I used to play with my family growing up,’’ Senh said. At the next table, Wright was making memories of her own, setting up tiles for another game, chatting and laughing with her fellow players.
despite promising to do so before being confirmed as transportation secretary in 2017. “Vulcan’s annual revenue depends heavily on infrastructure funding allocated by DOT,” the lawmakers said in their letter to Chao. The transportation chief did not sell her shares in Vulcan until June 2019, after the Wall Street Journal published an article about her failure to divest, the lawmakers said. The department has said that Chao’s failure to sell the Vulcan stock was an oversight that occurred when the company paid her stock options she earned while serving on the Vulcan board. The Oversight panel cited reports that Chao appeared alongside her father, James Chao, the founder of Foremost Group, in at least a dozen Chinese media
NBA from 5 academies in China and has seen very quick success with academies in Asia and Africa. The international influence on the league was more present this past season than ever. The NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is from Greece. The rookie of the year, Luka Doncic, is from Slovenia. The most improved player, Pascal Siakam, is from Cameroon. The defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, is from France. The All-NBA center, Nikola Jokic, is from Serbia. “This past summer, an NBA Academy prospect from China signed a contract with a National Basketball League team in Australia, becoming the first male NBA Academy prospect from China to sign a contract with a professional team,’’ NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “And on the women’s side, Han Xu from the New York Liberty, who trained at the NBA Academy in Shandong, China, became the first NBA Academy prospect to be drafted into the NBA or WNBA.’’ It hasn’t happened overnight.
KING COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ADVERTISEMENT Proposals will be received for E00630E19, Engineering and Related Services for Broad Street Substation; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 12:00 PM on October 9, 2019. Total Estimated Price: $580,000 This contract is funded by the Federal Transit Administration. There is a 10% minimum requirement for Washington State Office of
37 YEARS
Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises Certified Federal Small Business Enterprise (SBE) firms on this contract. All solicitation documents are published at: https://procurement. kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprocurement_ ovr%2fdefault.aspx Contact: Alice Phoenix, alice.phoenix@ kingcounty.gov, 206-263-9311
interviews, many of which featured the Transportation Department’s official seal. Chao’s father touted her influence within the U.S. government and boasted about his access to President Donald Trump on Air Force One, the lawmakers said. Chao and her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have received millions of dollars in gifts from James Chao, according to federal disclosures. McConnell also has received more than $1 million in campaign contributions from Chao’s extended family, including her father and sister, Angela, now the company’s CEO, the Times reported. A spokesman for McConnell declined to comment.
Former Commissioner David Stern struck a deal with Chinese television to show games on tape-delay three decades ago, and once toyed with the idea of some sort of NBA-sponsored or branded league in China. Teams embrace the chance to play the annual preseason games in China because he exposure is worth the jet lag. “When I have 76ers gear on and I walk through Shanghai, walk through Shenzhen, if I had a nickel for every time somebody said ‘Trust the process’ in perfect English I wouldn’t be standing here working,’’ Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil said, referencing the team’s motto during its rebuilding phase of recent years. “We’re very much a part of the fabric of China.’’ None of this seemed possible 20 years ago or so, when Bryant made that first trip. Now fans can’t get enough. “When you come here, you feel it from the fans, their energy, people at the hotel, people just walking around,’’ Kerr said in China during the World Cup. “Everybody just seems very excited about basketball.’’ Same goes for the game’s future in China.
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
YOUR VOICE
■ ASTROLOGY
asianweekly northwest
13
Predictions and advice for the week of September 21–27, 2019 By Sun Lee Chang Rat — Recapturing the past is not an option, but there is still plenty available to you in the present.
Dragon — Have you been singled out for an honor? You favor action above accolades, but do accept the praise with grace.
Monkey — Paring down a busy schedule can be a daunting task. Once you do so, however, you will have more time for yourself.
Ox — Instead of dwelling on what could have been, channel those feelings into a productive activity.
Snake — There hasn’t been much room for error lately. Plan a fun getaway to release some of the tension.
Rooster — Transitioning can be difficult if you are not ready. Rather than fight it, embrace what is to come.
Tiger — Are you growing impatient as you would rather give orders than take them? Your turn at the helm will come soon enough.
Horse — A far-flung adventure has opened your eyes to new possibilities, which ironically can best be pursued closer to home.
Dog — Whether you realize it or not, you have many champions in your corner. With your help, the chances of a good result are high.
Rabbit — Carrying multiple loads can be fatiguing. If you have been doing more than your fair share, let others pick up the slack.
Goat — Privy to a secret that is about to be revealed? There is no benefit to you in stressing your prior knowledge.
Pig — Not a big fan of surprises? Despite the general rule, a happy exception is just what you have been wishing for.
WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.
GHOSTS from 8 term ‘many’…is disturbing. How many is many?... not one of the officials provided any numbers.” Chang gives a harrowing account of the difficulties involved in construction, especially the horrific weather in the part of the country that watched the Donner party eat each other. An image remains with me especially: avalanches that buried men alive whose bodies were not found until the snow melted. The writer is overly optimistic at times, in spite of all he discovered about the hardships the Chinese faced. The skill possessed by the Chinese workers was immense, yet white people held the higher level jobs. At one point, Chang tells of a young white engineer who couldn’t take it more than five months out on the line before he hightailed it back to the East Coast. Chang speculates that this engineer must have had some kind of sympathetic thought for the workers as he was fleeing to some comfortable, warm spot. No, he probably did not. Riding through the Sierra Nevada is riding through a
BRIBERY from 1 Authorities say she was arrested in Spain on Sept. 16 and was being held there while authorities seek to extradite her to the United States. Sui is the first person to be charged since June, when parent Jeffrey Bizzack pleaded guilty to paying $250,000 to get his son into the University of Southern California (USC) as a fake athlete. Dozens of others were charged in March when authorities announced the investigation. Prosecutors say Sui paid $400,000 to a sham charity operated by admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer as part of a scheme to have her son admitted to UCLA as a fake soccer recruit. Sui is accused of providing Singer her son’s transcript and photos of him playing tennis. Singer worked with Laura Janke, a former assistant soccer coach at USC, to fabricate an athletic profile depicting Sui’s son as a top player on two private soccer clubs in Canada, prosecutors said. Both Singer and Janke have pleaded guilty. Sui’s son was admitted to UCLA as a soccer player in November 2018, authorities say, and was awarded a 25 percent scholarship. The case was outlined in a March indictment against former UCLA soccer coach Jorge Salcedo that didn’t identify Sui by name. The document said only that Salcedo accepted $200,000 to help two of Singer’s clients get their children admitted as soccer recruits, including one in October 2018. Salcedo has pleaded not guilty.
cemetery. Can we ever do justice to those Chinese that died there? Hard to say. Like today, politicians who were friends with Chinese people in private, toed the party line in public. Leland Stanford, of Stanford University, said, “The settlement among us of an inferior race is to be discouraged…” Stanford changed his tune later, and many white people did support immigration of Chinese to America, but the damage was done. At first, the number of Chinese in America grew. Then, here in the West, backlash increased in 1871, when 500 people attacked the Chinese in Los Angeles. Chang explains this was the largest mass lynching in American history—and no one got in trouble for it. It makes you angry. It makes you struggle to remind yourself we have come a long way—right? I was struck with what, to me, is the typical American disdain and selective memory towards those who helped build this country. (Remember our friends, the French, who fought for us in the War of Independence and gave us the Statue of Liberty?) Probably nothing about this story will surprise any Chinese person. They will not be surprised to hear that the lives of the “Railroad Chinese” were filled
A statement from UCLA says it took “immediate corrective action” after the March indictment was released. The school said privacy laws prevent it from discussing specific cases, but officials are “not aware of any currently enrolled student-athletes who are under suspicion” by the Justice Department. The alleged bribe ranks among the highest in the scheme. Some other parents are accused of making payments of up to $500,000, and some pursued the scheme multiple times, prosecutors say, with payments totaling up to $1.2 million. Prosecutors did not explain why Sui was not part of the original group of parents charged. Court documents show Sui’s indictment was filed in March but remained under seal until Sept. 17. The scandal has ensnared dozens of wealthy parents accused of paying bribes to rig their children’s SAT and ACT scores or get them admitted as recruited athletes to elite schools across the nation, including Yale, Stanford and Georgetown universities. Of the 51 people previously charged, 23 have pleaded guilty, including “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman , who paid $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score. She was sentenced on Sept. 13 to 14 days in prison, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine. Another 28 defendants are contesting the charges against them, including “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who are accused of paying to get their two daughters into USC as fake athletes on the crew team.
with danger, racism, loneliness, and lower pay. They might be surprised that the agenda then was to support the newly freed slaves, at the same time as Chinese immigrants who were certainly earning the right to be here. Yet, in 1870, those former slaves were given the right to become citizens while Chinese people were not (until 1943). Chang is not entirely correct that those hard-working Chinese, who came to Gold Mountain to earn money to send back to their families in China, mostly in Guangdong, and the many who stayed, did not leave any traces. And he proves it himself. There are songs and poems sprinkled throughout that are as effective as an entire chapter describing their coming and their going. If you want to share in their common humanity, if you want to feel closer to them across the vast distance, and if you want to, somehow, by remembering, commemorate them and give them rest, then this is a must read. Maybe, eventually, things won’t stay the same. And we will change. Kai can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.
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HUSTLERS from 7 confessor. She learns on the job the delicate art of putting one’s own feelings to one side, for the length of a shift. You see Destiny struggling to learn this. At first, her own emotions show through on her face, though helpfully obscured by the club’s obligatory low lighting. Later, she’ll learn to keep things to herself, minus a flicker of uncertainty here or a too-long blink there. She’s learning what Ramona has to teach. She’s becoming a pro. And she knows everything she has to know, until the Crash of 2008 comes along. Suddenly everybody’s hurting, even the fellows who pay the strippers. Suddenly the gravy train’s screeched to a halt. The strippers need money to pay their bills, and minimum wage at retail (for those who can even manage that) isn’t cutting it. And Ramona, always the most ambitious of them all, has a new plan. It involves chicanery, and it involves illegal drugs. But it’s a way to get the train rolling again. And she’s very persuasive. Criminals have, I suppose, a multitude of time-honored ways to justify what they do. Ramona has the crash of 2008 to back her up. We’re only screwing over people who have
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screwed others over, she says to her loyal flock. They take money out of people’s pension funds and spill it all over the dance floor. The system is screwed. The system does not reward people who play honestly. And she may well be right. Under the movie’s glitz, ready humor, sparkle, and sass, lies the uneasy truth that if you don’t recognize privilege, you’re probably its benefactor. Or to put it another way, morality looks like a privilege that a lot of people can’t afford. You can’t blame them too much for wanting to tip the board so it tilts the other way, towards their pocketbooks. That much makes sense. But the sadder, deeper undercurrent is the fragility of sisterhood, friendship, and warmth—and the trust that goes with all that. You need to celebrate the moment if you have loved ones, family, this undercurrent whispers, because it can all dry up all too soon. Leaving you with only the fading, thinning sparkle of how you had what seemed to be enough, so you boldly assumed you had it all. And you always would.
SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.
“Hustlers” is currently playing in theaters nationwide. Andrew can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.
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YOUR VOICE KEIRO from 4 in Seattle, who was among the first to recognize the need of a nursing home for aging Japanese Americans. Inouye Shu donated the building to Keiro, which was then called Nikkei Concerns. “This heritage will serve as a strong foundation for a future vision that will continue to serve the needs of the local community and pay tribute to the vision of our founders,” Keiro posted on Facebook. The announcement came at a time when the community is mourning the closure of Keiro and unsettled by the uncertain fate of its paired assisted living community, Nikkei Manor. Many community members, including staff members, activists, and others apparently close to the current administration, citing tensions in the community, declined to offer comments in their names. Those who did comment shared positive memories of the contributions of the Shimizu family and nostalgic memories of the building, and hope it will be used for the community’s needs. At the same time, the sale has once again stirred up antagonism and reproach regarding the end of a beloved institution that at least some members of the community were counting on as their retirement choice. Some community members were initially confused about certain aspects of the sale, particularly the legal right of a nonprofit to sell off donated property. Joan Seko, who founded and led several volunteer and fundraising groups at Keiro for years, was one of them. “It was my understanding that the property of the Washington Medical Clinic Building, that was donated by Doctor Ruby Inouye to a nonprofit, could not be sold, but could only be passed on to another nonprofit,” she wrote in an email. “I guess I was told wrong. I feel this sale is wrong because it does not honor Doctor Ruby’s legacy to the Japanese community,” she added.
Another community member, Susan Lane, wondered if the property had ever been put on the open market. A search on Zillow failed to turn up a listing for the property. As of press time, the Keiro board had not yet responded to a query whether the property had been put out for public bids. The Seattle Japanese American League (JACL) saw the sale as “bittersweet.” “Seattle JACL marks the sale of the Washington Medical Center as another bittersweet brick in the road of the Keiro Nursing Home (NH) history,” it said in a statement issued to Northwest Asian Weekly. “Keiro NH obtained the Washington Medical Center through the generosity of a beloved community member, Dr. Ruby Inouye Shu,” it said. “While the funds will have to repay the Keiro NH for expenses incurred during the closure, the sale is a stark reminder of the dismemberment of our beloved community asset.” Still, at least some of the sadness over the sale came from a sense of collective nostalgia over the building’s role in serving the Japanese American community. According to Lane, the building was a clinic where Inouye Shu had her medical practice along with her husband, Dr. Evan Shu. “Their patients were primarily Japanese American, and in the 1950s and 1960s the community was concentrated in the Central Area, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Valley,” said Lane. “When they retired, they donated their clinic, Washington Medical Center, to Nikkei Concerns, the organization which became Keiro Northwest,” she said. “The building and Dr. Ruby played a significant role in the medical care for the community,” she said. “Now, since the Japanese American community is dispersed around Seattle and the Eastside, access to healthcare no longer has the same geographic center,” she added. For Seko, the ongoing presence of the Shimizu family
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for three generations is a sign that some vestige of the past is still present. Stan Shimizu, who operates a shiatsu business in the building, declined to comment on his group’s purchase of the building. His website tells the story of his grandfather developing a bleeding ulcer while worrying about his wife and family when he was in a concentration camp. While in the camp, he was healed by a fellow prisoner who then taught him the technique. Upon returning to Japan, he became known as a Sennin, “a person with supernatural healing power,” and eventually opened a practice in Seattle. His grandson, Stan, now continues the practice. “My husband used to go to the shiatsu in there,” said Seko, “and I used to wait for him.” “The Shimizus were there forever,” she continued. “The fathers and sons. They’re quite popular and a lot of people went to them in the community.” Seko also remembered a popular optometrist in the building that many residents of Keiro used to visit, although in recent years, she said, the offices have mostly been used by Keiro staff. Since the sale of the building comes at the end of months of internecine disputes and outright rancor between various factions and community members, it has also served to reignite passions. The Seattle JACL, which was involved in the founding of Keiro 40 years ago, recognized that divisions in the community will make the task of rebuilding all the more difficult. “Now, more than ever, Keiro NW needs complete community engagement and full transparency,” it said. “We wish the Keiro NW administration and remaining Board members success.” Mahlon can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.
BLOG from 10
ZHANG from 4
style and age. Another reason I have abandoned the Chinese dress is because I have to work during events, reporting and photographing. Can you imagine carrying a camera and notepad, working on a story in a splendid silk cheongsam? Heels have to go with the cheongsam. I hate high heels. And a nice handbag has to match a fancy outfit. I am not a shoe or bag person. On many occasions, I have to be on my feet and run to get the best shot. Sacrificing my appearance for my career has been a normal part of my life. I learned a long time ago that I can’t have both. It takes a lot of time to dress up. I found out that wearing a pantsuit at events is so much more efficient, professional, and comfortable than wearing a knockout dress. One odd thing about us women, studies have found that we don’t wear 80 percent of the clothes we buy. Yep, we wear only 20 percent of our clothes. Call us crazy women, and I would disagree because my husband has the same problem. His closet is filled with a variety of clothes. But he keeps wearing the same ones day in and day out and then complains that he needs to buy more. Someone might accuse us of accumulating needlessly. No worries, we have plenty of space as we are empty nesters. Here is the question: What do you do with the clothes you love, but don’t wear? What do you do with expensive clothes, which you have not used, but you don’t want to throw out? I can’t bring myself to take them to Goodwill. For nostalgic reasons, I look at my Chinese dresses once in a while, reminiscing about the good old days. When the creativity bug bit me, I redesigned one cheongsam into a cover coat. There was one cheongsam that was so tight, I cut it up and turned it
was the daughter of a member. She was taken to the lobby where she then told a receptionist she was there for a United Nations friendship event that night and had come early to take pictures. That event had been canceled and prosecutors say Zhang had been informed. Agents took Zhang to a nearby Secret Service area outside Mara-Lago where agents say she became argumentative. She was taken to the Secret Service’s field office in West Palm Beach. Prosecutors say Zhang was carrying four cellphones, a laptop and an external hard drive, telling agents she feared they would be stolen if she left them in her hotel room. However, when agents searched her room at a nearby hotel, they say they discovered more electronics gear—including a device to detect hidden cameras— $8,000 in cash and numerous credit and debit cards. She faced no espionage charges. Zhang’s public defenders said before their firing that she came to Mar-a-Lago believing there would be a dinner that evening for the United Nations group, part of a $20,000 travel package she had purchased from a man named “Charles’’ she only knew through social media. They pointed to a receipt Zhang received from Charles Lee, a Chinese national who promotes such events at Mara-Lago, and a flyer she had promoting it. Lee ran the United Nations Chinese Friendship Association, which is not affiliated with the U.N., and was photographed at least twice with Cindy Yang, a Republican donor and former Florida massage parlor owner who organized events at Mar-a-Lago. The president and his family were visiting Mar-a-Lago the weekend of Zhang’s arrest, but he was at his nearby golf club when she arrived and she was never near him. Prosecutors and Zhang’s standby public defenders declined to comment after the trial. Jury forewoman Shelly Hoffman said only, “You heard our verdict.’’
YANG from 1 17 minutes and 35 seconds; Warren for 16 minutes, 34 seconds; and Booker for 14 minutes, 46 seconds. Yang received just seven minutes and 58 seconds of speaking time, but his giveaway got him a lot of attention online. When asked about its legality, Yang told CNN, “If I gave a million dollars to a
Chinese buttons
A cover coat made from a cheongsam
into a long shawl. Why ruin a beautiful dress when another woman can wear it? It’s really better to donate Chinese patterns to Goodwill. But no, I still want to hold on a little longer. Usually, I am a decisive person. Ironically, those cheongsams make me wishy washy—perhaps, for another five years. By then, I might turn all those cheongsams into something useful. Who wants old cheongsams anyway? Confession: I finally took an inventory of my Chinese dresses: I have 16 in total, not 11. I have a revelation. Those dresses actually mark the history, transitions, and challenges of my life. My mom selected most of the materials and style for my cheongsams. Those were happy memories with my mom, and I wouldn’t trade them with anything. Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
media company or consultants or hired like a small army of canvassers, no one would blink an eye. But if we give the money directly to the American people, somehow that’s problematic.” Deborah Hellman, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who has written about campaign finance law, told CBS News she doesn’t think the offer is illegal, because it doesn’t implicitly or
explicitly ask for anything in return. “I would think that Yang’s proposal is not illegal as he isn’t suggesting that he will give money to voters in exchange for their votes, either explicitly or implicitly,” Hellman said. She said the U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that ingratiation isn’t corruption. The UBI proposal is a central part of Yang’s campaign. The idea is for the
government to give $1,000 per month to every American over the age of 18. You don’t get less money if you have a highpaying job, for example. And if you’re already getting housing assistance or food stamps, you can choose between keeping your current setup or switching over to Yang’s UBI program.
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■ PICTORIAL
SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
37 YEARS
night market 2019 The Seattle Chinatown-International District’s Night Market was held on Sept. 14. Festival goers feasted on a variety of international delights from food vendors and local restaurants. There was also an outdoor international market featuring handmade local goods, fresh cut flowers, and Asian inspired items, and live entertainment.
PHOTOS BY GEORGE LIU AND JOHN LIU EVMB: The Beat Box Panda on stage.
Everyone enjoyed the food trucks that lined the streets.