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MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
Swedish CEO Armada resigns, but impact lives on By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Swedish Health Services’ CEO Tony Armada, 57, resigned recently after The Seattle Times published an investigative report on the hospital’s negligence towards its neurology pat ie nt s. Armada’s tenure at Swedish might have been short (three and a half years), but his work for people of color has made more of an impact than his predecessors. Many were shocked, disappointed, and saddened by the news. see ARMADA on 10
FREE 35 YEARS YOUR VOICE
City: ‘Is it negotiable? It is not.’ Little Saigon enraged and in disbelief during discussion about new homeless center By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “People think this is just Little Saigon, and it’s just a block,” said Elaine Ishihara on Feb. 28 at a community meeting comprising International District and Little Saigon community members, City of Seattle employees, and others involved in the incoming Navigation Center. “But it’s much more than that,” she said. “This is the ChinatownInternational District. … And I know that you were put in your position because of your experience working in communities and working with the homeless population. That’s the thing though. No one in this community was included in the process — from the beginning. So again, we are having to respond to something that has already been decided. That is the issue. How is that going to be corrected [moving forward]? … [The City has] this Racial Equity Toolkit. How was that applied to
Photo by Stacy Nguyen/NWAW
VOL 36 NO 10
Director of APICAT for Healthy Communities Elaine Ishihara exchange heated words with City of Seattle Director of Homelessness George Scarola (right) as Marpac Construction co-owner Don Mar looks on at a Feb. 28 community meeting.
the decision [to house the Navigation Center at Pearl Warren]? You are not giving us enough information. That is very paternalistic. Why don’t you start by answering some of those questions?”
“There’s no answer I can give you that is going to satisfy you,” said George Scarola, the City of Seattle’s director of homelessness. “Don’t talk directly to me,” Ishihara responded heatedly. She
gestured to the crowd behind her. “Talk to the rest of the community.” This meeting Tuesday night took place at the Pearl Warren building see LITTLE SAIGON on 12
Iconic Seattle artist’s last works touch on themes of remorse Photo by Brynn Tweeddale
By Brynn Tweeddale NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
“Young Woman, Girl and Mother and Child” is a public installation by Akio Takamori between Ninth Ave. and Denny Way on Westlake Ave. in South Lake Union.
BUSINESS Whitepages.com entrepreneur on making it in tech » see 7
SPORTS
By Jonathan J. Cooper ASSOCIATED PRESS
ON THE SHELF
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California lawmaker was removed from the state Senate floor on Feb. 23 after refusing to stop delivering a speech criticizing late state Sen. Tom Hayden for his leadership role in the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 1960s. Republican Sen. Janet Nguyen lived in South Vietnam as a child and fled with her family
EDITORIAL Where were the Asians at the Oscars? » see 11
■
see TAKAMORI on 16
California senator Nguyen removed after criticizing late lawmaker
APIs to watch for ahead of Winter Olympics » see 8
NWAW’s must-read, familial struggles » see 8
Akio Takamori, a renowned local ceramics artist, completed his final body of work just a day before dying from pancreatic cancer. His last work, entitled “Apology/ Remorse,” weaves complex concepts together, such as the differences between Eastern and Western culture, the conflict of gender in politics, and the way cultures display remorse. The show runs at the James Harris Gallery in downtown Seattle until April 1. The recurring theme of Japanese leaders and executives publicly apologizing for
their mistakes marks many of Takamori’s last pieces, some shown with the ideal woman’s body to challenge gender roles in powerful positions. “He thought it was upending this whole dialogue about patriarchal CEOs on a woman’s body exposing themselves and being very vulnerable by showing remorse,” said James Harris, who was Takamori’s friend and owns the gallery where the work will be shown. Harris explains that Takamori’s body of work came from his ideas about gender issues, the political climate, and the cultural intolerance of today, especially
when its U.S.-backed government fell. She spoke during a portion of the Senate session reserved for memorializing people who have died, and the presiding senator told security to remove her. Several sergeants-at-arms surrounded Nguyen and gently nudged her toward the door. Nguyen dodged them and continued yelling passages from her speech for nearly a minute as the presiding Democrat repeatedly told her to stop. see NGUYEN on 6
Republican Sen. Janet Nguyen
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■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Dr. Ming Xiao Day
35 YEARS
Host Joaquin Uy showed participants significant points in the history of Filipinos in Seattle, focusing on labor history and cultural work. Participants learned about the dangerous and courageous organizing of multiple generations of Alaskeros (Alaskan cannery workers), their struggle for just working conditions, and how that work became a threat to the Marcos regime in the Philippines. ■
Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
Chamber of Commerce dinner
Dr. Ming Xiao (left) with Sung Yang, King County Executive chief of staff.
The City of Seattle and King County proclaimed Feb. 26, 2017 to be Dr. Ming Xiao Day. Xiao, the president of the Cantonese Association of Washington, was honored the same evening at the organization’s banquet at China Harbor Restaurant. Xiao was honored for her contributions to the Chinese community, and for serving as an essential bridge bestating Feb. 26, 2017 as tween groups on behalf of Proclaiming Dr. Ming Xiao Day the Chinese community by actively communicating with government officials. Several dignitaries attended the festivities, including Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib and Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman. The event raised $6,050 for Seattle Children’s Hospital. ■
Checks to Sugiyamas
The Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW) presented a $3,000 check on Jan. 27 to the daughters of the late Al Sugiyama, to help with his recent memorial service. The community leader died on Jan. 2 after a battle with cancer.
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
From left: Alysa Sugiyama, Mari Sugiyama, and John Liu
The money came from ads that NWAW donated from Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Chinese Information and Service Center, Seattle Central College, Executive Development Institute, and funds raised by Northwest Asian Weekly. ■
Radical Walking Tours return From left: Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce President Felicity Wang, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, and Seattle Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim
More than 400 people attended the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s annual Lunar New Year dinner at China Harbor Restaurant on Feb. 9. VIP guests at the Year of the Rooster celebration included King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim. Founded in 1963, the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce is the voice of the Chinese business community. ■
Joaquin Uy leads walking tour in Seattle’s Chinatown
BAYAN-USA Pacific Northwest, an alliance of progressive Filipino groups, held a walking tour on Feb. 5 through the streets of Seattle.
Send your exciting news to editor@nwasianweekly.c om.
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
YOUR VOICE
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■ COMMUNITY NEWS New Data shows positive impacts of foreign-born residents in Seattle From the City of Seattle and New American Economy
By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Immigrants paid $6.5 billion in state and local taxes and held $16.9 billion in spending power in 2014. That’s according to data released on Feb. 22 on the contributions of immigrants in the Seattle-TacomaBellevue Metropolitan Area. The research dubbed Map the Impact, by the City of Seattle and the bipartisan immigration advocacy coalition New American Economy (NAE), highlights the significant economic contributions of immigrants and the critical need for immigration reform. Mayor Ed Murray has long touted the benefits of welcoming immigrants and refugees. On Feb. 21, during Murray’s State of the City address, he made the link between Seattle’s welcoming city values and the city’s
economic success, success that is shared across the nation. “We are a welcoming city for thousands of new Americans, and, together with the other nine largest welcoming cities in America, account for one-third of the country’s gross domestic product.” Map the Impact provides business, civic, and cultural leaders with new data on immigrant populations in all 435 Congressional Districts and 50 metro areas. Featured in an interactive map that also includes state- and sectorspecific data, NAE quantifies every locality’s foreignborn population, tax contributions, spending power, home ownership, and voting power, among other items. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Metropolitan Area, Map the Impact shows: • There are 613,667 foreign-born residents who make up 16.7 percent of the area’s population. • Immigrants own 131,178 homes and help to build the area’s
housing wealth. • Immigrants make up 28.2 percent of the tourism, hospitality, and recreation industry. Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) Director Cuc Vu believes the data can be an effective tool in the larger toolbox to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. “This information can be effective in educating voters about the contributions that immigrants and refugees make to our economy,” said Vu. “Despite the anti-immigrant rhetoric from the Trump Administration and Congress, the truth is that immigrants — from farmworkers to tech workers — will continue to enrich Seattle’s economy and contribute to the success of America.” ■ For more information, go to newamericaneconomy.org/ locations.
7-year-old Enzo Zhao to play at Carnegie Hall again
Photo provided by Derek Zhao
By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Enzo Zhao at his piano
Enzo Zhao is only 7 years old and he’s about to play at Carnegie Hall this April for the second time in his life. The second grader started playing piano two years ago at age 5. He received a toy piano from a family friend as a toddler, and his interest continued to grow. When he turned 5, his father, Derek, bought Enzo a digital piano. “Enzo sat down patiently and played every single note. He played like a natural and that surprised us,” Derek explained. The Zhaos live in University Place in the Tacoma area. They moved there last April
from the Washington, D.C. area. Enzo was really happy to learn about his Third Place Award in the Young Musicians category of the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition. He will be performing at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York on April 22. Last year, he played Fritz Spindler’s Sonatina in E minor in front of about 500 people. Enzo is inspired by legendary composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin. He would also love to meet Chinese pianists Lang Lang and Li Yundi some day. see ZHAO on 11
featuring coverage on our
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35 YEARS
■ WORLD NEWS
Chinese Basketball Association elects Yao Ming as president BEIJING (AP) — Yao Ming has moved into management in a bid to hasten China’s basketball development. The Chinese Basketball Association voted unanimously to appoint former Houston Rockets star as its president on Feb. 23, in a step toward reform for an organization which has in past been led by government bureaucrats. The CBA’s social media account quoted the Hall of Famer as saying he hoped to make improvements to the domestic league’s draft
system and push more Chinese players into the international arena. In comments after the vote, Yao said he would introduce scientific training methods to Chinese clubs, improve the tactical education of players and forge exchanges with leagues in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. “Our next move will be to borrow from international advanced experience, to thoroughly study China’s actual conditions and carve ourselves a path of innovation,” Yao said. Reforms would cover all aspects of
the game in China, from the national team to youth programs, he said. Yao, 36, was one of the first Chinese athletes to become an international household name when the Houston Rockets drafted him with the first pick in 2002. The 7-foot-6 center played for eight seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2011, citing chronic injuries. A two-time Olympian, the Shanghai-born Yao was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016. see MING on 15
Yao Ming
Malaysia: Poisoning of Kim caused paralysis, quick death
Fans in Japan rush to get Murakami book with esoteric title
By EILEEN NG ASSOCIATED PRESS
By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s health minister said that the dose of nerve agent given to North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un’s exiled half brother was so high that it killed him within 20 minutes and caused “very serious paralysis.” Kim Jong Nam died Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur’s airport in what Malaysian police say was a well-planned hit by two women who wiped a liquid on Kim’s face. Police revealed on Feb. 24 that the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent was used to kill Kim, raising the stakes in the case. Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said the dose of VX given to Kim was so high that he showed symptoms within minutes. Kim fainted at the airport clinic and died in the ambulance while en route to a hospital, he said. “VX only requires 10 milligrams to be
absorbed into the system to be lethal, so I presume that the amount of dose that went in is more than that,” he said at a news conference. “The doses were so high and Kim Jong Nam it did it so fast and all over the body, so it would have affected his heart, it would have affected his lungs, it would have affected everything.” Asked how long it took for Kim to die after he was attacked, Subramaniam said, “I would think it was about, from the time of onset, from the time of application, 15-20 minutes.” Malaysia hasn’t directly accused the North Korean government of being behind the attack, but officials have said four North see KIM on 13
KING COUNTY NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for E00470E17, Engineering Design Services for Mixed Liquor Aeration Blower; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 12:00 PM on March 13, 2017. Estimated price of Phase I of this Contract is $100,000 and the total estimated price of all remaining phases ranges from $250,000 to $400,000. There is a 5% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractor and Supplier (SCS) firms on this contract. All solicitation documents are published at: https:// procurement.kingcounty.gov/procurement _ovr/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprocurement_ovr%2fdefault.aspx Contact: Paul Price, 206-263-9309, paul.price@kingcounty. gov or Tina Davis, 206-263-2939, tina.davis@kingcounty.gov
TOKYO (AP) — Fans of Haruki Murakami rushed to Japanese bookstores on Feb. 24 to get his latest work with an esoteric title. “Kishidancho Goroshi,’’ or “Killing Commendatore,’’ is a two-part story about a 36-year-old portrait painter and what happens after his wife divorces him and he moves into an old house on a mountainside west of Tokyo. The mysterious events include meeting a neighbor and finding the painting that shares the book’s title. Murakami has described it as a very strange story. Devoted fans of the internationally acclaimed and best-selling writer lined up outside stores on the eve of the book launch. Shinchosha Publishing Co. said overseas availability is not yet known. No details are known yet on translations. Murakami, 68, usually shies away from
the limelight, although he has spoken out on issues such as world peace and nuclear energy. He began writing while running a jazz bar in Tokyo after finishing college. His 1987 romantic novel “Norwegian Wood’’ was his first best-seller, establishing him as a young literary star. see MURAKAMI on 14
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
YOUR VOICE
■ NATIONAL NEWS
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Lee to review Trump’s Chinese trademark SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Sen. Mike Lee says he will look into whether President Donald Trump has violated the U.S. Constitution by being awarded valuable trademark rights to his own name by the Chinese government. The Republican’s statement on Feb. 21 came in response to a question posed by Utah Democratic Rep. Brian King after the Senator’s speech to the state’s House of Representatives, asking if he would investigate this.
Lee says he will review whether Trump’s action violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which bars public servants from accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless explicitly approved by Congress. The trademark news came as a surprise win for Trump after a decade of trying — and failing — to wrest the rights to his name. ■
Sen. Mike Lee
911 call: Bar Judge refuses to toss out bias shooting claims over salon inspections suspect said he’d killed ‘Iranians’ By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A bartender at the restaurant where a man was arrested last week for an apparently racially motivated bar shooting of two Indian men told a 911 dispatcher that the suspect admitted shooting two people, but described them as Iranian. A recording from Henry County, Missouri, 911 reveals that the bartender warned police not to approach the building with sirens blaring or the man would “freak out” and “something bad’s going to happen.” The man, Adam Purinton, 51, of Olathe, made his first appearance in court on Feb. 27 via video link. He has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. According to witnesses, Purinton yelled “get out of my country” at two 32-year-old Indian men, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, before he opened fire at Austin’s Bar and Grill in the Kansas City suburb on Feb. 22. Kuchibhotla was killed and Madasani injured. The two had come to the U.S. from India to study, and they worked as engineers at GPS-maker Garmin. A third patron, Ian Grillot, 24, was wounded when he tried to intervene. After the shooting, Purinton, who is white, drove 70 miles east to an Applebee’s restaurant in Clinton, Missouri, where he made the shocking admission to the bartender. In the 911 call, the bartender, Sam Suida, told the dispatcher a man had come into the bar and said he’d done something “really bad” and was on the run from the police. “He asked if he could stay with me and my husband, and he wouldn’t tell me what he did. I kept asking him, and he said that he would tell me if I agreed to let him stay with me,” the bartender said. “Well, I finally got him to tell me and he said, like, that he shot and killed two Iranian people in Olathe....” Authorities have declined to discuss a possible motive for the attack or to say if they are investigating it as a hate crime. But the incident has raised concern about the treatment of immigrants, who feel targeted see BAR SHOOTING on 13
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — On Feb. 21, a federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses Louisiana state regulators of racially discriminating against a group of VietnameseAmerican nail salon owners. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson’s ruling clears the way for a jury trial next month in
Baton Rouge for the salon owners’ case against the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology and two agency inspectors. The four plaintiffs claim the board disproportionately targeted Asian-American salon owners for frequent inspections, fines and disciplinary hearings because of their race. The board argues there is no evidence of see INSPECTION on 14
Indian American businessman charged with defrauding lenders BOSTON (AP) — The former owner of a Bostonarea chain of high-end jewelry stores is facing wire fraud charges after authorities say he created bogus inventory reports for lenders to receive larger loans. Raman Handa, formerly of Lexington, owned now-closed Alpha Omega Jewelers. Federal prosecutors say in 2007 when the chain had trouble keeping up with loan payments, the 67-year-old Handa created a scheme to defraud lenders by lying about inventory reports used to
Raman Handa
determine credit limits. The reports included luxury watches and other items the chain didn’t actually have. After Handa left the U.S. for India in 2007, the chain’s lender gained control of the company and discovered more than $7 million in missing or unaccounted for inventory. Handa was arrested on Feb. 21 at the Los Angeles International Airport as he returned from India. ■
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■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAR 2
2017 OUTLOOK FOR ASIA’S ECONOMIC POWERHOUSES UNDER TRUMP’S TRADE POLICY Seattle Art Museum, 1300 1st Ave., Seattle 5:15–7:30 p.m. $20 abf2017.eventbrite.com WORKSHOP: IMMIGRATION 101 FOR ALLIES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle 6–8:30 p.m.
3 MONGOLIAN LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION ‘TSAGAAN SAR’ AVA U District, 4535 12th Ave. NE, Seattle 6–8 p.m.
4 TAIWAN HERITAGE NIGHT TRAIL BLAZERS VS. NETS & JEREMY LIN Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, 1 N Center Court St., Portland 5–10 p.m. rosequarter.com
5 SMILE FOR JAPAN Nagomi Tea House, 519 6th Ave. S., Seattle 2–5 p.m. $15/suggested donation
11
NAAAP ADOPT-A-STREET International District/Chinatown station, 507 S. King St., Seattle 10 a.m.–12 p.m. RSVP to eam.david@gmail.com
15 2017 WSCRC ANNUAL BANQUET Bell Harbor Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle 5:30–9 p.m. 206-441-4419 council@wscrc.org SUPPORT THE REELECTION CAMPAIGN OF MAYOR ED MURRAY Nagomi Tea House, 519 6th Ave. S., Seattle 5–6:30 p.m. RSVP to evan@bluewavepolitics.com 206-682-7328
26 THE FRIENDS OF ASIAN ART ASSOCIATION PRESENTS CONFUCIUS, COMMUNISM, AND CHINA Skyline Retirement Community, 725 Ninth Ave., Seattle 2–4 p.m. $15/members, $20/non-members friendsofasianart.org
35 YEARS NGUYEN from 1 “I have every right to speak on behalf of the 500,000” Vietnamese Americans living in California, Nguyen yelled before leaving the chamber as another senator said her comments were disrespectful and inappropriate. Nguyen represents a portion of Orange County known as Little Saigon, home to the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam. Many fled South Vietnam and blame the U.S. anti-war movement for undermining American forces and contributing to the victory by the communist North. The Senate confrontation drew an angry rebuke from Nguyen’s fellow Republicans, who said she was being silenced. “I very seldom get enraged, and I am deeply enraged at this moment,” said Minority Leader Jean Fuller of Bakersfield. Democrats said Nguyen violated the Senate’s parliamentary rules with her criticism and could have delivered the same comments if she had waited until later in the session and made a motion. “She got exactly what she wanted, which wasn’t to speak. She wanted to create a scene for her district,” said Dan Reeves, chief of staff to Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat. De Leon said he’s “troubled” by the conflict and will conduct an internal review. He said the rules were explained to Nguyen and her staff beforehand. Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American woman elected to the California Legislature, was born in Saigon and fled with her family on a small wooden boat, according to her legislative biography. After passing through a series of refugee camps, her family arrived in California in 1981. Hayden was a student radical in the 1960s
and helped organize protests against the war. He later became a legislator and elder statesman of the country’s left. He died in October, and the Senate held a memorial for him last week. On Feb. 23, Nguyen began her speech in Vietnamese before switching to English. When Majority Leader Bill Monning said she was speaking out of order, her microphone was shut off. She kept speaking as the presiding Democrat, Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, repeatedly told her to take her seat and eventually ordered her removed. According to a written copy of Nguyen’s speech provided by her office, she planned to say that Hayden “sided with a communist government that enslaved and/or killed millions of Vietnamese, including members of my own family.” After she was escorted from the Senate, Nguyen’s Republican colleagues said she chose not to criticize Hayden while his family was in attendance during the memorial two days earlier, saving her criticism for the next floor session. The conflict echoed a dust-up in the U.S. Senate earlier this month, when Republicans ended a speech by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, saying she violated Senate rules and impugned the character of then-Sen. Jeff Sessions as she criticized his nomination for U.S. attorney general. It also adds fuel for conservatives who have seized on instances they say represent right-leaning speakers being silenced by liberals in the pursuit of political correctness. Many on the right were outraged three weeks ago when the University of California, Berkeley, canceled a speech by controversial commentator Milo Yiannopoulos when a campus protest organized by critics turned violent. ■
APRIL 21–23
SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: SEATTLE CHERRY BLOSSOM & JAPANESE CULTURAL FESTIVAL Seattle Center, Armory, Fisher Pavilion and Seattle Center Pavilion Free admission cherryblossomfest.org
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YOUR VOICE
■ BUSINESS
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
asianweekly northwest
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ALGARD brings family-owned business approach to
WHITEPAGES & OFFICESPACE.COM By Chris Kenji Beer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Back in the early internet days when people were paying attention to domain names, the market was more like a pioneer days gold rush. Susie Algard and her husband gobbled up what they estimated would become high-profile domain names, such as WhitePages.com, IndustrialSpace. com, CarDomain.com, and OfficeSpace. com. Domain names are highly valuable because they carry powerful brand
marketing value. Algard’s husband Alex, for example, purchased WhitePages.com for just over $900 during college. It is a brand that is familiar to everyone. “Our goal was to build strong online businesses from the ground up,” says Algard. “We became a family-owned ‘Dotcom’ business through our own hard work.” The idea was to build quality consumer products, online consumer sites, with viable revenue streams around these sites. The couple came to Seattle from our neighbor to the north, Vancouver, B.C.,
where they met in high school. She was born and raised there and studied at Canada’s top schools — McGill University and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. At UBC, Algard studied International Relations with the idea of joining the Foreign Service or the legal field. Algard’s high school sweetheart and eventual husband founded WhitePages in 1997 as a hobby, while studying at Stanford University. The couple moved to the Seattle area, incorporated the company in 2000, and built a solid foundation for the business. “We set out to build a quality brand around WhitePages.com as a directory and information resource” on the web, similar to the yellow and white pages delivered to our homes. For the Algards, this meant
in large part bootstrapping the businesses out of their own daily sweat equity (work for no or little compensation). In 2005, WhitePages raised $45 million in funding from Technology Crossover Ventures and Providence Equity Partners, which the Algards bought back for $80 million eight years later. From 2008 to 2013, the WhitePages directory grew to 180 million records and released a few mobile apps, including a redesign in 2009, which gave customers the ability to make changes to their contact information. “We felt a need to move in another direction without being beholden to pressure from investors,” says Algard. It proved to be a good decision. From 2010 to 2016, the company shifted see ALGARD on 13
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■ SPORTS
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
APIs to watch for in South Korea Winter Olympics
■ ON THE SHELF
35 YEARS
MUST-READS, ON FAMILY
THE LAYUP DRILL
CHLOE KIM
By Samantha Pak NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Keiko’s Journey
By Kay Hirai Chin Music Press, 2015 By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The 2018 Winter Olympics are less than a year away and while there’s time to get ready for Pyeongchang, South Korea, Team USA is already preparing. We take a look at four Asian Americans who are ramping up.
Big air for short snowboarder Snowboard sensation Chloe Kim should be one of the new faces for the United States next year. She’s already being featured in ads for the Olympics and sponsors are getting her name out there. Next year’s Olympics should be very special since Kim will be competing in the birth
country of her parents. The Southern California native competes in the snowboard halfpipe event, which is a semi-circular ditch or purpose built ramp, that requires competitors to use speed, momentum, and flexibility to twist and turn in the air while landing correctly … and safely onto the snow. Kim is known among snowboarders and X-Gamers. She was nicknamed “The Future of Women’s Snowboarding” a few years ago, though can be considered the “now” of women’s snowboarding. The second-generation Korean American first learned to snowboard when she was 4 years old in Mountain High, Calif. She started to compete when she was just 6 years old. see SPORTS on 16
Kay Hirai was still a young child when World War II broke out in Japan. Her mother, an American citizen, had traveled back to Japan to care for her aging uncle, but they became trapped and struggled under the harsh conditions of war. From finding shelter with her mother and the rest of their village in a cave during air raids, to facing starvation, “Keiko’s Journey” is a war story told from a child’s perspective. We see how Hirai, who went by Keiko at the time, and her mother managed to survive the war, only to face scorn and abuse from their neighbors following Japan’s surrender — all because of her mother’s citizenship — and abuse at home when Keiko’s father comes home from the war after he was presumed dead. We see how Keiko gets through these
difficult times with only her dog Shiro as a companion. And when Keiko and her mother travel to the United States, we see how a young girl of 11 adapts to life in her new country in an era when she was still considered the enemy. “Keiko’s Journey” tells the story of the Second World War from the Japanese point of view, a perspective that does not get highlighted too often. We also catch a glimpse of what life was like for Japanese Americans in Japan, who may not have been put into the internment camps, but were still seen as the enemy and distrustful. While Hirai does not shy away from the harsh realities of war, she also highlights some of the small pleasures she and her mother had during those times, from spending time with friends, to being able to enjoy an egg with their dinner. Hirai also shows readers a child’s resilience and how strong they can be, even in the toughest times. see SHELF on 15
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YOUR VOICE
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
■ AT THE MOVIES New score to a piece of pivotal Japanese history By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY William Satake Blauvelt, musician, composer, and professor at Seattle University, admits, not quite believing himself, that the Aono Jikken Ensemble (AJE), over which he presides, started 20 years ago. The Ensemble, providing a fresh score and Japanese benshi-style narration to the classic silent film “Dragon Painter” at the Paramount, evolved out of several other collaborations. “Esther Sugai, Yoko Murao, and Susie Kozawa,” as Blauvelt recalled, “were part of Sokkyo — an improvisation group that combined music and sound art with dance, vocals, and poetry. Michael Shannon, along with Dean Moore (who joined AJE some years later), were in Blue World — a ‘torch and trance’ band that performed standards with a noir attitude and world music influences. I had been working as a solo and collaborative musician for a couple of years after leaving Seattle Kokon Taiko (a prominent local taiko ensemble) after 14 years with them.” He first became aware of “The Dragon
Painter,” a 1919 silent classic featuring Sessue Hayakawa, the first Asian American Hollywood superstar, in 1994, when he was programming at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival. Decades later, when approached by the Seattle Theater Group (STG) to score a selection for their series of silent films with live scores, he knew immediately which one to propose. The film, based on a novel by Mary McNeil Fenollosa, is set in Japan and concerns a famous Japanese painter struggling with madness, obsession, and deaths, both real and faked. Hayakawa, who was born in Japan but lived most of his life outside it, was one of the most famous leading men of his era, and he released the film through his own Haworth Picture Corporation. Explained Blauvelt, “It’s one of the earliest Hollywood films produced by and starring an Asian that features an Asian storyline with Asian characters that are complex people, rather than stereotypes. The film was made with a lot of skill and ambition — the acting by Hayakawa and Tsuru Aoki, his wife and a pioneer in her own right, is see MOVIES on 12
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“The Dragon Painter” plays March 6, 7 p.m., at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine Street in Seattle. For tickets and further information, visit stgpresents.org.
asianweekly northwest
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35 YEARS
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
insurance and access to quality health care. Hence, Swedish’s multicultural program was born. It has Asian/Pacific Islander and Black staff members, plus dozens of translators. “It’s just like going into a black hole for these immigrants … to navigate their way in hospitals,” said Zheng. “But Tony always wants to do the right thing. He’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and do the dirty work.”
“We in the Filipino business community are saddened by the resignation of Mr. Tony Armada,” said Bert Golla, past president of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest. “Our trust and respect for him remain solid.” “I was very much surprised when I learned of his resignation,” said Frank Irigon, a community leader. “I was reminded of former Seattle Mariners coach Don Wakamatsu when he was let go after less than a season with the Mariners. Would they have been given a second chance if they weren’t Asians?” “We have lost a very good leader in the healthcare industry,” said Ellen Abellera, former executive director for Washington State Commission of Asian Pacific American Affairs. “I am sorry to hear about Tony Armada’s resignation. I am sure he meant well for the organization.” Multicultural engagement director for Swedish Health Services (SHC), Wendy Zheng, who worked for Armada, said she was just as shocked as other members of the Asian community. In an exclusive phone interview with the Asian Weekly on his last day at Swedish (Feb. 24), Armada said, “It’s my decision [to resign]. It’s a collective decision with my wife. We all have to respect our own accountability. I want Swedish to make sure that Swedish will be recognized for all the wonderful things it has done and that Swedish takes care of its community.” Armada said he feels good about his decision. “As leaders, we have to make decisions, [ones] that you don’t do [just] for yourself, but for the good of everybody. If my decision leads to people being openminded and moving on,” it would serve the purpose, he added. Armada is known for taking stands, including his recent letter, which said, “We
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
ARMADA from 1
At Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW)’s Top Contributors Dinner, Dec. 2, from left: Award presenter Ellen Abellera (Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs), honoree Anthony Armada (Providence, Swedish Health Services), and honoree introducer Florence Chang (MultiCare)
stand with immigrants and refugees,” sent to his employees on SHC’s web site. The letter disagreed with President Donald Trump’s immigration ban. “I admired [Armada’s] recent statement of solidarity with refugees and immigrants in response to the disturbing presidential executive orders that affected Swedish Health Services’ diverse workforce and patients,” said Ador Yano, a community leader.
A role model Why several members of the Asian community took Armada’s resignation hard was because there are few Asian Americans who have broken the so-called bamboo ceiling. “It’s an outstanding achievement to become CEO of a major organization,”
said Dolores Sibonga, former Seattle City Council member. In Washington state, Armada was the only Filipino American heading a major mainstream organization. SHC is a $4 billion institute. Only a handful of Asian American executives are managing big healthcare organizations, Armada said. “If you’re an Asian American (CEO), it’s even more amazing because we are often viewed as being quiet and submissive — in other words, worker bees and not leaders,” said Sibonga. “Tony Armada was a great role model and inspiration for our local Filipino and Asian Pacific Islander community,” said Tony Ogilvie, president of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce. Nelson Tang, a health navigation coordinator who started working at Swedish a year ago, said he regretted that he didn’t have more time to learn from Armada. “Tony is an open-minded leader, very visionary. He is brave to resign and shoulder all the responsibilities.”
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Because of his background, Armada, has created multicultural initiative for people of color at Swedish. Even more rare among top corporations’ executives, is Armada being an immigrant from the Philippines. He came to this country when he was 9 years old. He was aware of the challenges facing Asian immigrants (especially Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans and Vietnamese) with language and cultural barriers as well as lack of
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Anthony Armada
Mentoring Armada is keen on mentoring. “Mr. Anthony Armada is … a strong supporter of developing leaders in the API community,” said Yano. Armada founded Asian Healthcare Leaders Forum, a leadership development program under American College of Healthcare Executives with Florence Chang, an executive at MultiCare Health System, to mentor young people interested in pursuing healthcare careers. Armada would mentor one person a year. Zheng said the last person he mentored got a job at Providence after completing his fellowship with Armada. Zheng said her experience with Armada as a mentor was valuable. Armada would work with her in detail — from the proposal for Asian care to getting funding to developing strategies to execution. Zheng said Armada is down-to-earth, professional, and has no arrogance. And Armada’s vision can go very, very far, she said.
Support community programs Under Armada’s leadership, Swedish awarded a Built Health grant of $120,000 to InterImCDA last year to promote environment and public safety issues. The goal is to raise awareness, improve wellness, and health in the community. Swedish has also directly worked with the International Community Health Services to improve quality care for Asian patients. Armada will be missed. As Ogilvie said, “We will all miss his engaging personality and the support that he offered to our community.” Armada is taking a leave. He said he won’t be back until next January to see what his options will be. Meanwhile, he will travel to Asia, including China, Japan, and the Philippines. He doesn’t know if he will stay in Seattle. Assunta can be reached at assunta@ nwasianweekly.com.
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
YOUR VOICE
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OPINION
■ EDITORIAL
Asians at the Oscars
Asians were definitely not well-represented at the Oscars, with Dev Patel being the sole Asian nominee in an acting category (Best Actor in a Supporting Role). Patel was not only the sole Asian actor nominated this year, but also the sole non-Black acting nominee of color. Patel ended up getting beat out by Mahershala Ali for his role in “Moonlight.” Ali, who is Black, is the first Muslim to win an Oscar. “Moonlight,” a predominantly Black film, also picked up the Best Picture award. The lack of Asian and Asian American nominees has not created nearly as much uproar as when the academy has snubbed Black actors.
Cheap shot
During one bit of the Feb. 26 show, late night personality Jimmy Kimmel welcomed a group of unsuspecting tourists who thought they were at just another stop. Instead, they found themselves smack in the middle of Oscar proceedings and rubbing elbows with Jennifer Aniston and Ryan Gosling. But the Oscar host is also getting some blowback for mocking the name of an Asian woman who was among those tourists.
When Kimmel asked for her name, she told him it was Yulree, which rhymes with “jewelry.” Kimmel responded, “Your name is Yulree? I know it rhymes with jewelry! That’s some name!” Then, he asked her husband what his name was, to which he responded, “Patrick.” Kimmel said, “See, THAT’s a name.” Some people on Twitter took offense and also threw Mahershala Ali’s name into the mix, which Kimmel mentioned a few times throughout the night. “It’s not the #Oscars unless they make fun of Asians somehow. This time, it’s Yulree’s name. Not really laughing,” wrote one user. Another user tweeted, “Names like Mahershala and Yulree confuse @jimmykimmel. He prefers a real name like Patrick. And I thought the #Oscars weren’t racist anymore.” Last year’s Oscar host Chris Rock brought out Asian American children to the stage to be the butt of his joke about Asians being good at math.
Highlights
Jackie Chan was at the Oscars since he received an honorary Oscar in November — it’s a lifetime achievement award that recognized his work in more than 200 movies during his 56-year career. Still, some Twitter users won-
dered why he was seated so far back. “The #Oscars put Jackie Chan in the balcony? JACKIE CHAN IN THE NOSEBLEED SEATS?!?!?! D.I.S.R.E.S.P.E.C.T.F.U.L.” wrote one user. “Why did they seat poor Jackie Chan next to the bathroom?!?!” wrote Jackie Chan another. In reality, Chan was seated where he is because of his award. He previously received his statue when he was honored at the Governors Awards dinner last November. Chan was also shown on screen clapping and dancing during Justin Timberlake‘s performance of “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” That was a big hit. Last but not least — nothing Asian-y, but very newsworthy — Warren Beatty read out the wrong Best Picture winner. Oops. Though the real Best Picture win (Moonlight) represented progress for Black filmmakers and actors, the Oscars still have a ways to go in recognizing Asians. But at least it’s headed in the right direction. ■
■ COMMENTARY
Keep capital punishment
By Frederick Su NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Governor Jay Inslee, and former Attorney General Rob McKenna wish to ban capital punishment in Washington. I say, “No!” Will evil take a vacation if we ban the death penalty? Not likely. An evildoer may pop up and shoot and kill little grade schoolers and their teachers. Connecticut banned capital punishment early in 2012. On Dec. 14, 2012, a crazed teenager (even his father remarked, “He was evil”) shot and killed 20 elementary school children and 6 adults in Newtown. Because Connecticut just banned capital punishment, that mass murderer could have surrendered, been arrested, and gotten life in prison without parole. Instead, he committed suicide. If capital punishment is banned in Washington and a school shooter commits a horrific act akin to the Connecticut massacre and then surrenders, are we, as moral people, willing to let this murderer live? I say not. Joseph McEnroe and Michele Anderson murdered six of Anderson’s family members, including a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, on Christmas Eve in 2007, in Carnation.
ZHAO from 3 His favorite song to play at the moment is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonatina in F major. Derek and his wife don’t play any instruments, but Enzo’s mom learned a little digital piano when she was a child for fun, not professionally. Enzo has a younger brother who’s 3 years old and is also a music fan. Derek is very proud of his son, who practices piano very hard for an hour every day. Enzo also plays the violin and guitar. His father said that he’s learned so quickly because he’s a natural. “He’s able to apply his piano skills to other instruments very
The two were spared death when a jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision in the penalty phase of McEnroe’s case. Other well-publicized cases include the Cascade Mall murders committed by Arcan Cetin, the murder and dismemberment of Swedish nurse Ingrid Lyne by John Charlton, the murders of Anna Bui, Jordan Ebner, and Jake Long in Mukilteo by Allen Ivanov, and the murders of Donnie Chin and purse-snatching victim My-Linh Nguyen, the last two still unsolved. Where do your sympathies lie, with the victims and their families or the murderers? I propose the following: • Require an 8-4 juror majority, rather than unanimity in the death penalty phase. • Bring back hanging, firing squad, or the electric chair. Lethal injection is too easy. • For juveniles who commit heinous murders, execute them at age 21. • Cap lawyers’ fees at a reasonable level. • Speed up the trial process and end endless appeals. • To convict, go “beyond a reasonable doubt”; that is, require a “very little doubt” standard of guilt,
quickly. One of the most memorable moments was when the family still lived in D.C. and Enzo brought his violin to the beach to play in public. His little brother danced next to him while he played, it was a fun moment,” Derek said. Zhao takes weekly one-hour lessons with Dr. Oksana Ezhokina, chair of Piano Studies at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). Ezhokina has been teaching Enzo for almost a year, after Derek found her through his network at the university. Ezhokina has been teaching piano for over 20 years and this is her sixth year teaching at PLU. “It’s been wonderful and very fulfilling for me. [Enzo is] a total delight, incredibly easy, and fun to be with. He’s a very talented kid and is sometimes capable of play-
ing music that not every 7-year-old can play,” she explained. She also described Enzo as someone who loves music, is a wonderful listener, and has a good ear. “He has excellent rhythm and perfect pitch. He really hears things and that helps him greatly because it allows him to learn quickly. He’s also an independent learner, which is fantastic,” she added. Ever since Enzo was little, Derek would put up the following words on the wall: thankful, caring, happy, polite, respect, hardworking, and nice, so Enzo would remember that those are the most important characteristics to have. As parents, Derek explained that it can be difficult managing Enzo’s time and helping their son find the right balance of practicing music
incorporating good science-based forensic techniques. If capital punishment is banned, vigilantism may arise. Would you convict the victim’s family member for killing a murderer because the state failed to do so? Untenable laws become unfollowable laws. Death is not cruel and unusual punishment. The manner of execution of William Wallace (think of the movie Braveheart) was. Three-year-old Nathan Anderson climbed into his wounded mother’s arms for protection on Christmas Eve, 2007. That shining light of innocence looked into McEnroe’s eyes and McEnroe put a bullet in his little head. Banning the death penalty abrogates family members’— and a righteous society’s—say on the murderer’s fate. Forward this to your legislators and the governor. Tell them, “Keep capital punishment!” ■ Frederick Su is the author of “An American Sin, A Novel about an Asian American and Vietnam.” He is a former resident of Connecticut. For more information about the novel, visit bytewrite.com.
and being a kid. Derek has always encouraged and instilled confidence in Enzo. Derek and his wife bring Enzo to the Seattle Symphony and find ways to positively influence his interest in music and develop his potential. “As long as he likes it and it’s his passion, then we will support him all the way,” Derek said of his son’s musical interests. Ezhokina also said, “I’ve observed the relationship between Enzo and his parents, and they provide opportunities that expose him to various activities. I’m pretty sure there’s a culture of high achievement at home.” In additional to classical music, Enzo enjoys jazz and rock music. Although Enzo’s dream is to be-
come a professional pianist, he’d love to learn how to play the drums someday. His other hobbies include sports. Enzo’s a big fan of all kinds of sports and plays soccer. “Enzo has a natural talent to go far in life. If he wants to continue music, I think he has all the absolutely necessary qualities if he maintains his interest through middle and high school. I also hope he continues being a kid, so he can learn and enjoy life,” she added. “Right now, my biggest challenge is to memorize a song that is 21 pages long. This is for an orchestra that I’m going to play in,” Enzo said. ■ Nina can be reached at info@ asianweekly.com.
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MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
35 YEARS
in Little Saigon (606 12th Avenue South), which is the future site of the proposed Navigation Center, a 24-hour living facility for Seattle homeless individuals. The meeting came on the heels of a Feb. 20 letter signed by Little Saigon and International District community members/business owners, requesting “a pause on the location of the new Navigation Center.” The letter alleged that the City has repeatedly neglected to engage the local community before making significant decisions that adversely affect the neighborhood. “We are being neglected, ignored, and treated as secondclass to every City-sanctioned project and policy that reaches into the Little Saigon neighborhood,” stated the letter.
State of emergency
On Nov. 2, 2015, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine declared states of emergency in Seattle and King County, requesting emergency assistance at the state and federal level to alleviate the area’s pervasive homelessness issues. Pathways Home is an initiative launched by the City that sets a strategic plan on how the City addresses homelessness. Data has shown that temporary shelters for homeless individuals are not an effective way to move individuals affected to permanent, stable housing. According to the City’s website, 70 percent of the City’s $50 million investment toward alleviating homelessness is spent on these emergency shelter services. “We know that we are not serving people the best way by just providing a roof over their heads overnight,” said Jason Johnson, deputy director of the human services department at the City. A solution Pathways Home has proposed is providing low-barrier, 24-hour shelters, which are based on San Francisco’s success with its navigation centers. These shelters are not drop-in shelters. Residents — 75 at the Pearl Warren — will have to be referred in order to quality to stay there. Residents will ideally be those who are ready to transition to permanent housing. Navigation centers differ from shelters in significant ways. Many individuals opt to stay in unauthorized encampments, rather than traditional shelters because partners, pets, and possessions are banned. At navigation centers, people are allowed to come and go as they please, enter with their animals, and benefit from intensive services provided by the City. At the community meeting, it was stated that a goal of the Seattle’s Navigation Center is to transition individuals to permanent housing within 30 days, a statement that drew vocal skepticism from the crowd.
A done deal
News of the Navigation Center’s location was released by the City to the public on Feb. 8. For nearly all community members and business owners in Little Saigon, it was the very first time they had heard that Little Saigon was being considered as the location for the center. At the time the press release was sent out, the City had actually already signed a 7-year lease with the Pearl Warren building owners. “This presentation so far talks about the Navigation Center as an absolute done deal,” said Richard Mar, board chair of the International District Emergency Center (IDEC). “It’s a done deal without consulting with this community. I would like for you to address why that was not done.” “At some level, all of this stuff is a responsibility of mine,” said Scarola. “Siting is one of the more difficult tasks we have.” According to Jess Chow, planning and development specialist for the City and lead planner for the Navigation Center, 12 sites were considered for the center before the Little Saigon site was picked. A navigation center requires certain criteria be met: 15,000 square feet minimum space (the San Francisco model is 37,000; Pearl Warren is 20,000), flexible spaces for offices, storage, and pet areas. The center also needs to be easily accessible by mass transit.
MOVIES from 9 engaging and moving, and the direction by Hayakawa’s partner William Worthington is done with great care. Plus the cinematography, done on location in Yosemite National Park, is spectacular.” In 2014, the film was recognized as culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress and placed on the National Film Registry. The Ensemble, for this project, consists of Michael Shannon on guitar, erhu, and dulcimer; Marcia Takamura on koto and shamisen; Stan Shikuma on taiko and percussion; Jay Hamilton on cello, bass guitar, and flute; and Blauvelt himself on taiko, percussion, lu sheng, and
Photo by Stacy Nguyen/NWAW
LITTLE SAIGON from 1
The crowd at the community meeting discussing the Navigation Center at the Pearl Warren building, Feb. 28
“So one of the reasons Pearl Warren was selected was due to the mayor’s commitment to provide treatment to people living in the greenbelt under I-90 and also those [who are homeless] in the [International District],” said Chow. She also added that Pearl Warren also doesn’t contain asbestos, lead, or other known health hazards. Pearl Warren has to undergo construction and remodeling in order to meet the specifications that a 24-hour center requires. Beyond basic safety upgrades, showers and bathing facilities will also be upgraded. Spaces will be reconfigured for pets. Sprinklers, lighting, and outdoor fencing will be installed. Chow stated that construction will also be contained to the site — within it and immediately outside the building. She said that there should not be space consumed on Weller Street and there should be no related road closures during construction. The Navigation Center is slated to open later this year, though a concrete date cannot be set until construction is underway, stated Chow.
Non-negotiable
On Aug. 26, 2016, Scarola was named by Murray as the City’s first-ever cabinet-level director of homelessness. Scarola was executive director of the Sand Point Community Housing Project from 1992 to 1996, during which time it converted housing at the Sand Point Naval Air Station into homes for unsheltered youth, adults, and families. “We have an emergency. We have to deal with 3,000 people who are unhoused.” said Scarola at the meeting, explaining — in part — why the Little Saigon community was not consulted in the location of the center before a lease was signed. Scarola conveyed that the City wanted to move quickly. He said, “We haven’t been able to sit down with a community and come up with a plan without [having that plan] stop completely.” Community members at the meeting seemed to infer that Scarola was saying that, in order to move forward quickly, the City did not consult with the community — which visibly angered many in the room. “We are confident that in time, the program will be accepted [by the Little Saigon community],” said Scarola. “Is [the location of the center] up for negotiation? No. Why? Because we have spent six months finding a site where these people will be served. All programs that we have cited [in our presentation], to date, have become parts of their communities. … The Sandpoint encampment was a six-year battle. And now it’s an accepted part of that community.” “I know this [explanation] doesn’t solve the problem [of lack of community engagement from the City],” added Scarola. “But you asked me, ‘Is it negotiable?’ It is not. We’ve made an agreement [with Pearl Warren’s owner]. What is negotiable is how we can work with the community [going forward].” “Your tone is really patronizing,” said Tam Dinh, assistant professor and director of field practicum in social work at Saint Martin’s University. “This sounds like a conversation that I would have with a child. It’s what I would say to my three boys. ‘You don’t realize this is good for you yet, but in time, you will realize that this is good for you.’ … When you talk about how there’s no negotiation, it sounds very Trump-like right now. That doesn’t work well with people who are always marginalized.” “I don’t believe anyone in this room is anti-homeless,” said Ishihara, who is director of Asian Pacific Islander Coalition
prepared string instruments. Local actor and performance artist Naho Shioya will provide the Japanese benshi-style narration to the silent film. The benshi narrators, who flourished in Japan and Korea during the silent film era, provided live-action narration to accompany the film. Shioya will read the film’s onscreen intertitles in both English and Japanese, but in the classic benshi tradition, she’ll go a bit further than that. She collaborated with Blauvelt for narration, in both languages, separate from the intertitles. “This film presents an interesting juxtaposition for us,” Blauvelt mused. “We’ve done many Japanese silent films that we are, on different levels, translating for a non-Japanese audience. ‘The Dragon Painter’ is an American film about
Advocating Together (APICAT) for Healthy Communities. “I don’t want to be pitted as that. [It’s just that] this is a historically Asian, API (Asian-Pacific Islander) community even before it was Little Saigon. It used to be J-town (Japantown). So the thing is, before you started deciding what you’re going to do with an empty space in this community — I wish we had known about it … [but] you come in here and you say, ‘It’s a done deal.’ And we only heard about this weeks ago … but you say you’ve been going through this process for the last six months? … For crying out loud, we all pay our taxes. This city needs to answer to the constituents.”
Community impact
Repeat concerns voiced at the meeting were related to public safety. Don Mar, co-owner of Marpac Construction, located next to Pearl Warren, asked for “police presence, twenty-four-seven. I want my employees and my tenants in this neighborhood to feel safe.” Mar was told that there will not be constant police presence. But it was pointed out that it is significant that the center will be staffed constantly. “Part of our job is to run this place so that doesn’t degrade the way of life to the people who exist in the broader community,” said Daniel Malone, executive director of Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). “[T]he Navigation Center will have a significant staff presence, twenty-fourseven. We will have a lot of staff in the building, especially in the waking hours. And we believe that we will be able to be responsive to concerns that will come up in neighborhood about people who are staying in the Navigation Center.” DESC is contracted with the City’s human services department. DESC will operate the Navigation Center — offering supportive services and case management to transition client-residents into stable, permanent housing. DESC would also attend to health care, substance abuse, and mental health needs. “One of the positions we will take in operating here is a basic code of conduct, which will include appropriate behaviors inside the facility,” said Malone. “There will need to be additions to this code of conduct about behavior in the neighborhood. We will certainly not tolerate illegal behavior, but even with certain behaviors that are not illegal, behavior that degrades the quality of the life of the neighborhood — for example, panhandling — we will try to intervene to stop it if it’s happening, see if we can get that behavior to change. If not, we might not be able to serve the person from continuing in the program.” Malone said that the staff present will have regular rounds, essentially walking the building and watching for problem behavior. He also said that he expects staff to participate in the neighborhood, such as through community meetings, as appropriate.
The future
“We will do better moving forward,” said Scarola toward the end of the meeting. “I can’t erase how [the news of the center] came out, but we can do better going forward.” Scarola said that he would like to work with the community to see what engagement and more transparent communication would look like. He said he is unsure of whether it would take the form of additional community meetings or something else, but it is a discussion with the community that he wants to continue. “[This will be] one of multiple conversations we look forward to having with you,” said Chow. “Ben [Han] and I welcome visits with any groups or businesses [to answer questions] — we can do that as well as attend any community meetings.” Han is the new community projects manager at City of Seattle. He is the City liaison for ChinatownInternational District regarding capital projects. For more information or to schedule a meeting with the City, Ben Han can be reached at ben.han@seattle.gov. Jess Chow can be reached at jess.chow@seattle.gov. Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly. com.
an imagined Japan, created by an American writer that was adapted by a Japanese artist working with American collaborators. The film was somewhat controversial to Japanese viewers when it was first released, so it will be interesting to see what modern Japanese viewers will make of it and whether or not our contribution will help.” ■ “The Dragon Painter” plays March 6, 7 p.m., at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine Street in Seattle. For tickets and further information, visit stgpresents.org. Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
YOUR VOICE
■ ASTROLOGY
asianweekly northwest
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Predictions and advice for the week of March 4–March 10, 2017
By Sun Lee Chang Rat — You have several options available to you. The best choice isn’t necessarily the most obvious one.
Dragon — If you choose to be the loudest in the room, you better be right. Otherwise, it is better to listen.
Monkey — Do your homework beforehand, so that you have enough background information to hit the ground running.
Ox — Are you your own worst critic? Look for opportunities to build yourself up, instead of tearing down what you have already built.
Snake — Split between what looks good versus what actually feels good? While style is important to you, don’t overlook substance.
Rooster — Is this really what you had in mind or are you just going through the motions? Your next step should be a purposeful one.
Tiger — Eager to share what you have learned through experience? Consider your audience before you impart your words of wisdom.
Horse — You have a tendency to indulge your creative side more often than not. The current conditions are ideal for you to make your mark.
Dog — Don’t force together two pieces that simply don’t fit. There is a better match, but you have to look to find it.
Rabbit — Does it seem like you are playing catch up this week? A big push at the end of the week should go a long way.
Goat — Although you are cautiously optimistic, it still makes sense to have a contingency plan in place.
Pig — Coming in late on a scene isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as you get up to speed quickly and discreetly.
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 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
*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.
KIM from 4 Korean men provided two women with poison to carry it out. The four men fled Malaysia on the same day as the killing, while the women — one from Indonesia and the other Vietnamese — were arrested. Experts say the nerve agent used to kill Kim was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory and is banned under an international treaty. But North Korea never signed the treaty, and has spent decades developing a complex chemical weapons program. Kim was not an obvious political threat to his estranged half brother, Kim Jong Un. But he may have been seen as a potential rival in North Korea’s dynastic dictatorship, even though he had lived in exile for years.
North Korea has denied any role in the attack. On Feb. 26, Subramaniam said the state chemistry department’s finding of the VX toxin confirmed the hospital’s autopsy result that suggested a “chemical agent caused very serious paralysis” that led to death “in a very short period of time.” The VX agent can lead to death very quickly in high doses, he said. He said the final autopsy report would be submitted to police soon. Subramaniam also said that there have been no reports of anyone else being sickened by the toxin, but that medical workers who attended to Kim would remain under observation for possible delayed effects. Tens of thousands of passengers have passed through the airport since the apparent
ALGARD from 7 away from advertising revenue and began focusing more on selling monthly subscriptions to access information, such as individual contact information, background checks, and online security. As founding member of WhitePages.com and its senior vice president for nine years from 2000 to 2009, Susie Algard was charged with perhaps the most challenging piece for startups — revenue. Algard managed and grew the WhitePages consumer business from $0 to over $50 million in revenue. Her hands on executive and management of key business relationships helped drive the early growth of the company. “I recruited, trained, and retained top talent, while ensuring infrastructure to scale the business across several locations.” She also led the charge to expand internationally and launched several new successful net-positive ROI revenue streams. “I have worn almost every hat as the company grew rapidly, including online ad sales, business development, and product marketing.” According to WhitePage. com Senior Vice President Maxwell Bardon, “Susie was a key contributor to the growth story at WhitePages. She is a very sharp, driven, and pragmatic business leader, who hires great people and can lead a team to do great things.” After leaving WhitePages, Algard formed OfficeSpace.com in 2010, which is “a platform that helps tenants find office space and connect with local brokers in their area ...OfficeSpace. com is a company that fills a niche in the work of acquiring office space.” While other platforms
assassination was carried out. No areas were cordoned off and protective measures were not taken. On Feb. 26, more than a dozen officers in protective gear swept the budget terminal where Kim was attacked and said they found no traces of VX. Abdul Samah Mat, the police official leading the investigation, said the terminal was “free from any form of contamination of hazardous material” and declared it a “safe zone” after a two-hour sweep. He also said a condominium on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur that was raided by police last week had been rented by the four North Korean suspects who left the country. He said police were still testing a seized substance for traces of any chemicals. Abdul Samah said the Indonesian woman
exist, they tend to take the broker agents out of the picture. They try to replace them with an online platform. “That’s not what we try to do. We actually help support agents and brokers in the businesses acquire and manage their office space clients, so there is no friction with the players in the industry ... We connect business owner/decisionmakers to the brokers.” Algard drives the company’s vision, strategy and growth. As of December 2016, the company was serving over 200,000 users per month, and are on target to reach $1 million in revenue some time this year after, only two years of implementing their revenue streams. Algard said the most difficult experience in her business career was not some catastrophic business deal gone bad, but the challenge of managing the work life while being five months pregnant during a critical period of her company’s growth. Despite this, with two children and another one on the way, she credits her parents’ strong influence and husband who was with her every step of the way. Algard speaks of the advantages of family-owned businesses over being beholden to employers, a board, and especially investors. While she works diligently throughout the week, there is opportunity for she and her husband to manage a family life. “We make the effort to spend quality time with our children, and share all the responsibilities involved with parenting. Alex is an equal partner in our family life,” adds Algard. ■ Chris can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
who was arrested, Siti Aisyah, vomited in a taxi on the way from the airport after the attack but is fine now. He said that more tests were needed to determine if the two arrested suspects were given antidotes so the nerve agent wouldn’t kill them. An antidote, atropine, can be injected after exposure and is carried by medics in war zones where weapons of mass destruction are suspected. Representatives from the Indonesian and Vietnamese embassies met with the two arrested women on Feb. 25, who both said they thought they were part of a prank show. Aisyah said she was paid the equivalent of $90, according to Andriano Erwin, Indonesia’s deputy ambassador to Malaysia. ■
BAR SHOOTING from 5 by President Donald Trump’s promises to ban certain travelers, build a wall along the Mexico border and put “America first.” During a court appearance lasting less than two minutes, Purinton was seen wearing what was described by a sheriff’s department spokesman as a “safety smock,” assigned to suspects who said something during jail processing that suggested they might do harm to themselves. Johnson County sheriff’s Master Deputy Rick Howell would not disclose the comment by Purinton that raised concern, but said the suspect would wear the smock until mental health professionals say otherwise. Andy Berthelsen, a neighbor of Purinton’s for the past 15 years, told the AP that Purinton had become “a drunken mess” after his father’s death about 18 months ago. He said he doesn’t believe the shooting stemmed from hatred, and that it likely resulted from Purinton’s physical and mental deterioration. The University of Kansas Health System released a video on Feb. 26 of an interview with Grillot, of Grandview, Missouri, who is recovering after a bullet went through his right hand and into his chest. Grillot said he had to do something
because there were families and children in the bar when the gunfire erupted. Grillot said he is grateful that the attack is bringing the community together and that it is “awesome honestly to be able to give people a hope that not everybody hates everybody.” Madasani addressed a crowd of hundreds during a vigil last Sunday at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kansas. He described the killing of Kuchibhotla, his friend and coworker, as “a senseless crime,” the Kansas City Star reported. “The main reason why I am here is that’s what my best friend, Srinivas, would have done,” Madasani said. “He would have been here for me.” “I wish it was a dream,” Madasani said. Still walking on crutches, Madasani drew applause when he called the shooting “an isolated incident that doesn’t reflect the true spirit of Kansas, the Midwest and the United States.” At the vigil, Madasani recalled how Kuchibhotla never complained about picking him up and driving him to work for six months. “He waited till I bought a car. That’s the kind of guy he was — is,” Madasani said. ■
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INSPECTION from 5 racial bias in its regulatory activities. It had urged Jackson to dismiss all of the plaintiffs’ claims before trial. Vietnamese-owned businesses account for just 9 percent of the roughly 7,500 salons regulated by the state agency, including hair salons, but paid at least 80 percent of all board-imposed fines in each year between 2011 and 2013, the plaintiffs allege. But the plaintiffs and defendants disagree on whether the rate of fines should be viewed through the prism of all types of
regulated salons or just nail salons. Steven Young, the board’s executive director, has estimated that 80 percent of all nail salons are owned by people of Vietnamese heritage. Jackson, however, decided it’s a dispute for jurors to resolve. And the judge noted that plaintiffs have presented other evidence that nail salons are subject to more scrutiny than other categories of salons. One plaintiff also claims an inspector, Sherrie Stockstill, unlawfully detained her and her employees for approximately two hours during a 2013 inspection. Jackson
MURAKAMI from 4 The preceding novel “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage’’ was released in Japan in 2013, and a collection of short stories, “Men Without Women,’’ was published in 2014. His million-seller “1Q84’’ in 2009 was one of his longest novels, with the Japanese edition coming out in three volumes.
ruled that those detentions were “objectively unreasonable.” “No reasonable inspector in Stockstill’s position could believe that a regulation permitting her to inspect business records and interview employees of a manicuring salon would justify or permit the detainment of all the employees of the salon for a two-hour period,” the judge wrote in his 32-page order. Salons owned by two plaintiffs are located in Lafayette. The other two are in Prairieville and Gonzales. One of the plaintiffs’ attorneys is former U.S. Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, a New
Orleans Republican who was the first VietnameseAmerican to serve in Congress. The trial is scheduled to start March 13 and last about one week. ■
SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.
The book launch coincided with “Premium Friday’’ government initiative to encourage office workers to leave early for a longer weekend. The publisher has said 1.3 million copies are planned for firstedition prints, a huge number for Japanese literature that usually comes in the several thousands. It is available at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Seattle Chinatown. ■
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“The combined efforts of the Northwest Asian Weekly and the Seattle Chinese Post reach thousands of readers across our region to keep people not only informed about what is happening but in a way that connects them to the perspectives and opinions of people that share their culture and heritage. That commonality and shared experience provides a lens that may not always be found elsewhere in the press or media.” — Mike Fong, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s Chief of Staff. “For three and a half decades, the Northwest Asian Weekly has been an invaluable community news outlet. From reporting on local cultural events, serving as a resource to highlight the work of community leaders, to providing a forum to share innovative ideas that inform the diverse communities that live in the Northwest, the Northwest Asian Weekly has shaped the course of our region’s history.” — U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, Washington’s 9th District Send in your thoughts to editor@nwasianweekly.com.
The only weekly English-edition newspaper serving the Asian community in the state of Washington for 35 years.
SHELF from 8
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placed in an environment with a caring adult, they would have a better chance to develop cognitively, emotionally, and physically. But as well-intentioned and altruistic as Bowen was, the road to her founding Half the Sky Foundation and eventually becoming a partner nongovernmental organization (NGO) with the Chinese government and working with more than 50 sites was not an easy one. As an American, she faced cultural and language barriers, skepticism for being an outsider, red tape, and more. But Bowen was not discouraged. “Happy Forever” gives readers a glimpse into a world that is not easy to consider. Bowen doesn’t shy away from the hardships the orphans face. From the way they are treated and how the orphanages are run, it is easy to draw the conclusion of how much the Chinese valued (or didn’t value) girls. And while Bowen’s efforts may have a slight “white savior” feel, her writing shows that she is aware of that. As she works to establish Half the Sky, Bowen makes sure she goes through the correct government channels and processes to make sure the organization is legitimate and will be able to do the work that needs to be done — which is her top priority.
Double Cup Love: On the Trail of Family, Food, and Broken Hearts in China By Eddie Huang Spiegel & Grau, 2016
Wish You Happy Forever: What China’s Orphans Taught Me About Moving Mountains By Jenny Bowen Harper One, 2014
In the summer of 1998, one year after she and her husband brought their 3-year-old daughter Maya home from China, Jenny Bowen was struck with a desire. In the span of one year, Maya had gone from frightened and sickly, to happy, healthy, and thriving, and Bowen wanted to see the same thing happen to more orphans — almost all girls — in China. And so began Bowen’s journey to bring Westernstyle caretaking to Chinese orphanages. Her thinking, which was backed by studies she found through research, was that if the babies and young girls were
MING from 4 In 2009, he purchased the Shanghai Sharks, his former CBA team. Over the past decade NBA stars such as Stephon Marbury, Tracy McGrady, J.R. Smith and Gilbert Arenas have spent one or more seasons playing in the CBA as the
For Eddie Huang, life was good. His first memoir, “Fresh Off the Boat,” was a bestseller. He was the star of his own TV show that allowed him to travel around the world. And his restaurant Baohaus was doing well. Then he fell in love and everything changed. His relationship with an All-American white woman led Huang to wonder, “How Chinese am I?” To find the answer, he decides to do a reverse migration and travel back to the motherland: China. Traveling with his two brothers, Emery and Evan, Huang was on a mission to find out if his food stood up to Chinese palates and to connect with his roots. And as is the case with most well-laid plans, things didn’t exactly turn out that way. In this followup to his first book, Huang takes readers on a journey that is not too uncommon among children of immigrants: going back to where he came from. While his trip may have had a specific goal, the desire to learn about where you come from and find
league grew in prominence. But Chinese sports fans say the league could be made stronger still and their country’s basketball talent pipeline remains underwhelming despite the sport’s grassroots popularity. Yang Ming, a Chinese sports commentator, praised the appointment of Yao over a government official, saying that Yao had broad experience as a player in the NBA and a
your place in the world is something many of us can relate to. Huang also questions his views about love, romance, and marriage. Huang is unapologetic and honest in telling his story. He doesn’t shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of his life, from growing up and seeing his father beat his mother, to the arguments he gets into with his brothers. Huang’s openness, as well as his very distinct writing voice, filled with curse words and hip-hop references (a combination of both mainstream and obscure), lends his story to feel more like a conversation between friends than a memoir. And as Huang is a chef with his own restaurant, food plays a large role in “Double Cup Love.” I recommend you not read this on an empty stomach. ■ Samantha can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
CBA club owner. “For many years we haven’t seen any admirable or acceptable reform measures introduced by the CBA,” Yang said. “Yao Ming is not only a brilliant player, but intelligent with his independent ideas.” ■
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35 YEARS
TAKAMORI from 1 as an immigrant from Japan, who faced discrimination during his lifetime. “He was concerned with the state of the national climate,” said Jamie Walker, the director of the University of Washington’s School of Art + Art History + Design. Walker worked closely with Takamori and Doug Jeck, a master of figurative ceramics and University of Washington (UW) professor, to build the school’s ceramics program. “I was looking at Trump and Hillary next to each other on the television, and that intensity, we’re going to carry on that for a while,” Takamori said in an interview with the Stranger in December. “I feel right now that the world is so unknown, and nothing seems predictable, but even though Hillary didn’t become president, we are looking at the Venus now and realizing that was a man’s vision. There’s no return for the old chauvinism way. That’s why male is angry. But you cannot change it.” Takamori’s largest piece of work in the collection adds historical context by featuring Willy Brandt, a German Chancellor, who kneeled at the German occupation-era Warsaw Ghetto Uprising monument in Poland. It was an act of remorse that was seen as Germany’s first steps to recognizing its past. Takamori was born in Japan and trained at the Musashino Art College in Tokyo.
As an apprentice in Kyushu on the path to becoming an industrial potter, he began to question the constraints of industrial ceramics. He moved to the United States to study at the Kansas City Art Institute. In the Seattle community, Takamori was an active supporter of local artists and students. He taught at the UW for 21 years. Walker describes him as a person who lived and breathed art. “It wasn’t just people interested in Akio. Akio was interested in people,” he said. “People felt that they were part of his world through his art.” Walker saw Takamori’s work as a shared experience. Takamori would invite people to his studio and talk to them as he worked. He liked to engage visitors. Rachel Dory, a Texas-based artist and former student of Takamori’s, said her most valuable moments with Takamori were observing him create his work. “He would ask them what it felt like to be human,” she said in a story she wrote about her experiences with Takamori. “The figure that emerged after the last firing was always a surprise, each newborn person stepping out of the kiln telling a uniquely raw, human story that nobody had heard before, including Akio himself.” Takamori’s ceramic work was known for his painterly use of underglaze, a clay mixture that adds color or texture to ceramics, in a style that helped show human emotion. However, in many of
Photo by Brynn Tweeddale
MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
Takamori’s ceramic “Young Woman in White Dress” perches at the top of the Silverberg staircase in the Allen Center at the University of Washington, where he taught for over two decades.
his pieces in “Apology/Remorse,” he abandoned that familiar style, instead using monochromatic glazes in colors like black, white, and yellow without other markings. “Here is a man that, in the last year of his life, took to doing something new,” said Walker. Ayumi Horie, a potter who studied with Takamori as a graduate student at the UW, agreed that Takamori’s work was always evolving. “He was the kind of artist we as students aspired to be,” she said. When his cancer treatment made him lose feeling in his hands, making it hard for him to use clay as his medium, he began painting in order to continue creating art. “There is an inherent sadness to it, yet he completed the body of work,” said Walker. “He loaded his last kiln the day before he died.” ■
Photo by Brynn Tweeddale
Brynn can be reached nwasianweekly.com.
She is now training full-time with the U.S. snowboarding team. Sixteen-year-old Kim was the first woman to land back-to-back 1080 spins (3 full 360 spins in the air) in competition. At only 5’2” and 115 pounds, her fearlessness and athleticism has led to competition accolades as well as lucrative sponsorship deals with Target, Burton, and Oakley. In her time away from the halfpipe of the snow, Kim is learning acoustic guitar. She also is fluent in French, English, and Korean. Kim will be one of the U.S. favorites for the podium.
Figure skating Chens
Figure skater Nathan Chen looks to be a contender for the podium in the men’s figure skating division. In January, he became the youngest U.S. men’s champion in over 50 years. The 17-year-old became the first man to land five quadruple jumps at the National Championships in Kansas City. He also hit the five quadruple jumps in a single performance in an international competition to win what is a preview of
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“Yellow Man,” one of the pieces from “Apology/ Remorse,” is finished with yellow glaze which combines the male head to the female body.
A preview of a few works from Akio Takamori’s “Apology/Remorse” exhibition at the James Harris Gallery.
SPORTS from 8
at
Photo courtesy of Mark Woods
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the Olympics in Pyeongchang. From Salt Lake City, Chen began skating at the age of 3 after watching his two older brothers play hockey. Notably, his two older sisters participated in figure skating. Competing in figure skating at a young age, Chen is a five-time U.S. national champion. Chen’s parents are both immigrants from China. His father is a scientist and his mother is a medical translator. Karen Chen, no relation to Nathan, should be another name to remember on the ice, as she won the U.S. National Championship in January. Chen won the long and short programs in Kansas City. However, Chen has not built on her win in January, as she finished 12th at an international tournament in Gangneung, South Korea in February. Chen, like Nathan, is just 17 years old and has a lot to work on as she prepares for her first senior World Championships in Helsinki in March. Despite a rough time in South Korea, Chen, a native of Fremont, Calif., gained a big fan in former Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. “I was so happy and excited for her,” Yamaguchi said, “She’s a fantastic skater with great work ethic. She has the kind of potential to make a big mark on the world stage.”
won two bronze medals at the 2010 Olympics. In February, the Filipino American won a bronze in the men’s 1000m at the World Cup in Dresden, Germany. Celski suffered a torn hip labrum, which required surgery in 2014. After returning from the hip injury, he returned to training, but a crash into the pads resulted in an MCL injury to his right knee. He was off for four months and missed the U.S. Championships that year, which meant he could not qualify for the 2016 World Championships. Now injury free, Celski looks to focus in on South Korea next February and pick up where Apolo Ohno left off. At 26 years old, Celski is in his prime and ready to serve as the face for the U.S. short-track speed skating team. ■ Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Celski ready to return to form
Federal Way native J.R. Celski is looking to rekindle his short-track speed skating career after a series of injury setbacks. Celski won a silver medal at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and
J.R. CELSKI