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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
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Vietnamese doctor forcibly removed from United flight By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Dr. David Dao is recovering at a Chicago hospital after he was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight headed to Louisville, Ky. on April 9. The incident was caught on videos taken by other passengers — provoking an outcry on social media. In a statement, United said, “Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation.” The airline was asking already seated passengers to voluntarily give up their seats for $800 — in order to make room for four employees who needed to get to Kentucky. When the appeal failed, United staff said they randomly selected four passengers by computer. One couple and another passenger left the plane peacefully, but Dao, who’s Vietnamese-Chinese — Screenshot from video of Dr. David Dao dragged through the aisle
see DAO on 12
Julie Locke, mother of former Washington governor, dies at 90 By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Julie Locke died in Seattle on April 6. She was 90. According to her son, the former governor of Washington, Gary Locke, “Mom passed away … peacefully and without any pain and in the comfort of her home.” Locke said his mother suffered a massive stroke on March 20. Born on Jan. 11, 1927 in Hong Kong, Julie married James Locke in Hong Kong in 1947 and moved to the United States shortly after. She was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in 1954. “What many don’t know is that she had a thirst for learning,” Locke told the Northwest Asian Weekly. “She went back to community college when she was 50 years old to take courses in tailoring — even though she was already an amazingly gifted
Photo provided by the Locke family
VOL 36 NO 16
Julie Locke
seamstress, having made suits for my Dad and re-upholstered our living room sofas—and a course in idioms of American expressions!! And she was always reading newspapers and magazines and looking up unfamiliar words in her Chinese-American dictionary and practicing writing out the words on recycled scraps see LOCKE on 5 SEE RELATED BLOG ON 10
1st-generation immigrant from Malaysia gets accepted by 8 Ivy League schools
Terracotta Warriors exhibit open in Seattle
By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY A 17-year-old Malaysian immigrant in Orange County, Calif. has stunned everyone with her extraordinary achievement of getting acceptance letters from eight Ivy League universities. Cassandra Hsiao’s application essay played a big role in her acceptance into the universities, where she wrote about learning English while growing up in a house of immigrants. She has received acceptance
Photo by Janice Nesamani/NWAW
see HSIAO on 12
Cassandra Hsiao
The terracotta horse who has flown all across the world with a cavalry man.
By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY For over 2,000 years, they lay underground — silently guarding China’s First Emperor Qin Shi
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Huang. In 1974, they were accidentally disturbed from their eternal watch by farmers digging a well in Xi’an in the Shaanxi province of China, revealing a see TERRACOTTA WARRIORS on 15
IRON CHEF
PAUL TRAN
GENE MOY
Will this Seattle chef reign supreme? » see 7
Getting ready for Rain City Grand Slam » see 8
We captured his 100th birthday party. » see 9
COMMUNITY » 2
CALENDAR » 6
ASTROLOGY » 13
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35 YEARS
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
■ NAMES IN THE NEWS International Community Health Services’ (ICHS) CEO, was honored on April 1 at the University of Washington Women’s Center’s WOMEN of COURAGE: Undaunted gala. Teresita Batayola was named a WOMAN of COURAGE for her achievements bringing equity and diversity to local and global communities. “It’s hard to find a more passionate and effective advocate for ICHS and the community’s needs Teresita Batayola than Teresita,” said Hiroshi Nakano, Director of Value Based Care at Valley Medical Center and a member of ICHS’ Board of Directors. Batayola has served as CEO since 2008, after joining ICHS in 2004.
JCCCW fundraiser
(JCCCW) announced that it surpassed $85,000 in gross revenue from contributions received at its annual fundraising luncheon on March 31. More than 400 people attended the event which also honored the Moriguchi family (Tomio and Denise Moriguchi and Tomoko Matsuno) with the Tomodachi award for embodying the vision and mission of JCCCW.
MRJ prototype arrives in Washington state for tests
Gary Weiss (right) with winners of the airline ticket raffle.
Gary Weiss, Director of Marketing for All Nippon Airways (ANA) gave roundtrip tickets for two to Tokyo, in a raffle drawing.
Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
Ghibli meetup
The Moriguchi family receiving the Tomodachi award. From left: Tomoko Matsuno, Denise Moriguhi, Tomio Moriguchi, and JCCCW President Kurt Tokita
Kinokuniya bookstore on April 8. Fans of all ages, some in costume, showed their dedication to the legendary studio best known for its anime feature films. There was a trivia contest, raffle drawing, and special coupons to use at Ghibli’s Sakura Con booth were handed out.
Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
ICHS CEO Batayola honored
Ghibli fans take part in trivia contest.
Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington
Dozens gathered for a Ghibli-themed meetup at Seattle’s
2017 Annual Meeting Tuesday, April 25 5:30 to 7:30 pm Ethiopian Community Center 8323 Rainier Avenue South Catering provided by Rainier Valley restaurants Register online at www.rvcdf.org
SERVING SOUTHEAST SEATTLE Small Business Loans Commercial Real Estate Loans Wayne Lau, Executive Director wlau@rvcdf.org 206.722.5280
A fourth Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. MRJ90 flight test aircraft arrived on April 1 in Moses Lake, Wash. The plane joins three other prototypes of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Japan’s first homegrown commercial jetliner, that had arrived previously. All four prototypes will undergo testing in Washington state. Mitsubishi Aircraft has postponed the planned delivery date of its first MRJs to All Nippon Airways (ANA) to 2020, citing design changes, including to its wiring.
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
YOUR VOICE
■ NATIONAL NEWS Woman said she was denied an Airbnb because she’s Asian By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Airbnb said a host that cancelled an Asian woman’s booking, telling her, “It’s why we have Trump,” has been banned permanently. “Airbnb does not condone discrimination in any way,” said spokesperson Nick Papas. “We have worked to provide the guest with our full support. In line with our non-discrimination policy, this host has been permanently removed from the Airbnb platform.” Dyne Suh, 25, of Riverside, Calif., was travelling in February to the ski resort of Big Bear Lake with her boyfriend and two friends. Suh had contacted the Airbnb host prior to their arrival to confirm the booking. But, three minutes from their destination, the host told Suh they were no longer welcome. “I wouldn’t rent to u if u were the last person on earth,” the host wrote to Suh. “One word says it all. Asian.” Suh, who emigrated from South Korea when she was 3, responded that she would report the host to Airbnb for being racist. “It’s why we have Trump,” the host wrote back. “And I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners.” After receiving those messages, Suh and her friends pulled over to figure out their next plans amid a heavy snowstorm, she said on Facebook. There, they ran into a news crew from KTLA covering the storm, and Suh
provided a tear-filled interview about the incident. “I just feel so hurt,” she said. “It stings that after living in the U.S. for over 23 years, this is what happens. No matter if I follow the law, if I’m kind to people, no matter how well I treat others, it doesn’t matter. If you’re Asian, you’re less than human and people can treat you like trash.” Though the incident happened weeks ago, Suh’s story went viral last week when the KTLA reporter posted a video of the interview on Facebook. Airbnb said the company issued Suh a full refund and offered to reimburse the group for a hotel. Airbnb has pushed more aggressively to combat racial discrimination on its platform recently. In September 2016, the company released a report suggesting remedies and a greater focus on dealing with those issues. ■
Study: Asians are at high risk for heart disease even at normal weight By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY A study published on April 3 reveals that Asians, along with Blacks and Latinos, have high risk factors for heart disease even if they are not overweight or obese. Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta and the University of California, San Francisco studied data from 2,622 Caucasian, 1,893 Blacks, 1,496 Latinos, 803 Chinese Americans, and 803 South Asian participants aged 44 to 84. They used Body Mass Index (BMI), a height-to-weight ratio, to determine whether participants are normal, overweight, or obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines normal BMI as 18.5 to 24.9; overweight as 25.0 to 29.9; and obese as 30 and over.
The research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that among people of normal weight, South Asians were twice as likely as whites to have risk factors for heart disease. That likelihood was 80 percent greater for Latinos and 50 percent for Blacks and people of Chinese descent, the research found. Because Asians are known to have a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes at a lower BMI than other populations, the WHO created a different scale for Chinese and South Asians. In this scale, a BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 is considered a healthy weight, a BMI of 23 to 27.4 is overweight, and 27.5 or above is obese.
asianweekly northwest
Coach put on leave over ‘ching, chong’ remark By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The head baseball coach at San Francisco’s Galileo High School has been put on administrative leave after he allegedly shouted at an Asian American player, while mocking him with a fake Chinese accent. “Mr. (Don) Papa is not coaching the Galileo baseball team,” Gentle Blythe, spokeswoman for the San Don Papa Francisco Unified School District, said in an email. Blythe said the district placed Papa on paid administrative leave on March 15 “as a result of information that emerged in the course of the investigation” into the racially charged incident. The targeted player, who is American-born, appeared confused by the instructions given to him by coach Papa during a Feb. 24 game. Witness Nakia Kashima told the San Francisco Chronicle that the player, who has not been identified, seemed puzzled by what Papa was telling him. According to Kashima, Papa started yelling, “Ching, chong, something something,” and then added, “Do you understand me now? Do you understand English?” Asian American organizations in San Francisco denounced the incident. In a joint statement, members of the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Asian Pacific Islander Council of San Francisco, and the Japanese American Citizens League of San Francisco said, “Mr. Papa’s actions reinforces bigotry and intolerance against the Asian Pacific Islander community in this politically charged environment, where our refugee, immigrant, Muslim, South Asian, and Jewish communities are being targeted. This behavior is unacceptable and we demand transparency on behalf of Galileo High School’s principal, Michael Reimer, and the San Francisco Unified School District on their disciplinary actions for Don Papa and their plan moving forward to ensure this does not happen again.” 62.9 percent of Galileo’s high school population consists of Asians.
see HEALTH on 14
KING COUNTY NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for E00482E17, Engineering Services for University CSO Green Stormwater Infrastructure; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 12:00 PM on May 1, 2017. Total Estimated Price for Phase 1: $1,100,000 Total Estimated Price for all Phases: $2,500,000 This project is anticipated to be funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency through the Washington State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Program (Revolving Fund), and subject to certain federally mandated contract provisions. In accordance with EPA’s policy on the
utilization of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and disadvantaged business enterprises in procurement, where subconsulting opportunities are available the Contractor shall make good faith efforts to ensure to the fullest extent possible that it subcontracts with Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) firms. The applicable MBE/ WBE fair share objectives/goals negotiated with EPA by the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises are 10% MBE and 6% WBE. Both MBE and WBE firms must be certified by the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises. King County, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
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of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. All solicitation documents are published at: https://procurement. kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprocurement_ ovr%2fdefault.aspx Contact: Ruth Williamson, (206) 263-9333, ruth.williamson@kingcounty.gov
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■ SPORTS
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
35 YEARS
NHL ices Olympics, says no to 2018 Games in South Korea By STEPHEN WHYNO AP HOCKEY WRITER The NHL announced on April 3 that it will not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, refusing for the first time in 20 years to halt its season for three weeks so its stars can chase gold for their home countries. From Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews to Connor McDavid and Henrik Lundqvist, the world’s best players called playing in the Olympics important. The league decided otherwise. Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly informed the NHL Players’ Association that the matter was “officially closed” after weeks of speculation. The NHLPA said in a statement that players are “extraordinarily disappointed and adamantly disagree with the NHL’s shortsighted decision.” The NHL had allowed its players to participate in the past five Olympics dating to 1998, giving the Winter Games pro-level star power akin to the NBA players who participate in the Summer Olympics. The league said no meaningful dialogue had emerged in talks with the NHLPA, International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation. Even after the IIHF had agreed to pay for players’ travel and insurance costs when the IOC refused, the NHL had been looking for more concessions that were believed to include marketing opportunities tied to the games.
The IOC said it “feels very sorry for the athletes,” but could not give the NHL special favors. “The IOC, which distributes 90 percent of its revenue for the development of sport in the world, obviously cannot treat a national commercial league better than not-for-profit international sports federations which are developing sport globally,” the Olympic body said in a statement. The league wanted the matter resolved before the playoffs begin April 12. “The league’s efforts to blame others for its decision is as unfortunate as the decision itself,” the NHLPA said. “NHL players are patriotic and they do not take this lightly. A decent respect for the opinions of the players matters. This is the NHL’s decision, and its alone.”
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who led Canada to consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, said, “I’m just going to tell you I’m disappointed.” Players immediately blasted the decision. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who played in Sochi under Babcock, called it “very disappointing” and said it was short-changing younger players who hadn’t got to experience it before. “Disappointing news, (the NHL) won’t be part of the Olympics 2018. A huge opportunity to market the game at the biggest stage is wasted,” tweeted Lundqvist, the New York Rangers goaltender who won the 2006 Olympic gold medal with Sweden. “But most of all, disappointing for all the players that can’t be part of the most special adventure in sports.” Former NHL forward Brandon Prust, who’s now playing in Germany, tweeted: “Way to ruin the sport of hockey even more Gary (hash)Olympics.” “It’s going to do more damage to this sport than people realize, and whoever made that decision obviously doesn’t know what they are doing,” Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. The NHL and NHLPA teamed up on the return of the World Cup of Hockey last fall and had made strides on growing the sport internationally, including games in China and Sweden later this year. see OLYMPICS on 13
■ WORLD NEWS Pink diamond auctioned for record $71.2M in Hong Kong record $83 million to New York diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, who failed to pay. The auction house was then forced to buy the diamond itself because had guaranteed a $60 million sale price. Last year it sold an
By KELVIN CHAN AP BUSINESS WRITER HONG KONG (AP) — A stunning 59.6 carat diamond known as the “Pink Star” sold for $71.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction on April 4 in Hong Kong, setting a new world record for any diamond or jewel, according to the auction house. The oval mixed-cut diamond smashed the $60 million pre-sale estimate set by Sotheby’s when it went on the block. The sale comes three years after the gem was sold at an even higher price at another Sotheby’s auction in Geneva. That deal later fell apart after the buyer defaulted. The gem is the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Three telephone bidders competed for the stone during five tense minutes of bidding. The crowd in the packed auction room applauded when it was sold for a hammer price of $63 million , not including the buyer’s premium. Sotheby’s Asia Chairwoman Patti Wong said the winning bidder is Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook “We’re very happy,” Wong said. “I know there was a lot of talk about the economy in China not being as positive as it was a few years ago,” but the results from its jewelry auction, which included nearly 200 other lots, were very strong, she said. Wong said the company is not worried about another default because the bidders were vetted and have longstanding
relationships with Sotheby’s. “We’re very, very confident that all three bidders had the financial capability, and of course the buyer definitely had the financial capability,” she said. Until now, the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction was the “Oppenheimer Blue,” which fetched 56.8 million Swiss francs (then $57.6 million) last May. The previous world auction record for a pink diamond was $46.2 million for the 24.78 carat “Graff Pink” in 2010. Sotheby’s decided the time was right to bring the diamond back to the market because of rising demand from wealthy Asian buyers. “The Asian element in the jewelry market is extremely important and from what I’ve been hearing from members of the trade I’ve been talking to, in the last six months they have become more and more important,” said David Bennett, chairman of the auction house’s jewelry division. The “Pink Star” was mined in Africa by De Beers in 1999 as a raw 132.5 carat gem and cut over a two-year period. In November 2013 it was auctioned for a
unspecified stake in the diamond, valued at $72 million on its balance sheet, to two companies, diamond specialist Diacore and New York jeweler Mellen Inc. ■
YOUR VOICE
■ NATIONAL NEWS
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
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Trump, Xi showdown fails to materialize By VIVIAN SALAMA and MATTHEW PENNINGTON ASSOCIATED PRESS
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — What was billed as a showdown between the leaders of the United States and China over trade and North Korea ended with little sign of confrontation on April 7 — or of concrete progress in resolving their differences. President Donald Trump had predicted a “very difficult” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After their first face-to-face at the Mar-a-Lago resort, he trumpeted they
had developed an “outstanding” relationship. U.S. officials said the two sides agreed to increase cooperation on trying to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, and China acknowledged the need for more balanced trade with the U.S. But the two days of meetings appeared heavier on optics than substance. The most powerful message for the Chinese leader may have been Trump’s decision to launch U.S. missile strikes at Syria. Those strikes added weight to Trump’s threat to act
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Japanese Garden’s largest improvement in a half century has been completed on time, despite bad weather, neighbor complaints and a $33.5 million price tag. The public can now see the results of years of fundraising and 20 months of construction to execute a concept by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Kuma is known for designing the $1.5 billion National Stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games. The ambitious project in Portland’s Washington Park has transformed land leading up to the hilltop entrance of the garden, considered one of the mostauthentic outside of Japan, but not the garden itself. The expansion added 3.4 acres to the front of the 9.1-acre garden. The larger footprint allows for new educational facilities and event spaces. Challenges also included the steep terrain, landslides and storm water issues. ■
caption Julie Locke at the White House for Locke’s sworn in
of paper.” Julie Locke is survived by Gary Locke, Rita Locke Yoshihara, Marian Monwai, Jannie Chow, Jeffrey Locke, and sisters Mary Pang, Annie Chinn, Ella Wong, and Kim Quang, and brother Wayne, 15 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Services are pending. See related blog at 10.
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GARAGE SALE — with 300 Booths. Sat. April 15. Southwest WA Fair, 9am4pm. 2555 N. National Ave. Chehalis, WA. Treasure hunt worth the drive. Vendors 360740-2655. FOR SALE — SAWMILLS from only $4397. MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill. Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship! FREE Info/DVD: www. NorwoodSawmills.com 1-800-578-1363 Ext.300N.
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR APRIL
$5 of every ticket sold goes to Nikkei organizations 206-346-4519
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IMAGINE US 2017 BY 21 PROGRESS Filipino Community of Seattle, 5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., Seattle 6–9 p.m. imagineus17.bpt.me
CID HAPPY HOUR FOOD WALK Seattle’s Chinatown-International District 4–7 p.m.
14–16 OFFICIAL SAKURA-CON 2017 Sakura-Con, 800 Convention Place, Seattle 10 a.m.–4 p.m. sakuracon.org
15 SUMO + SUSHI! WaMu Theater, 1000 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle 1–10 p.m. sumoandsushi.com UW KHMER STUDENT ASSOCIATION 21ST ANNUAL NEW YEAR SHOW Husky Union Building, 4001 E. Stevens Way N.E., Seattle 5–11 p.m.
15 & 16 INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FRIENDSHIP FESTIVAL Seattle Center, Fisher Pavilion 11 a.m.–6 p.m. childrenfest.tacawa.org
18 SALUTE TO JAPANESE BASEBALL NIGHT Safeco Field 7:10 p.m. $35/ticket
APRIL MAHJONG NIGHT CO-HOSTED BY NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL Kin On Community Health Care, 4416 S. Brandon St., Seattle 7:15–9:15 p.m.
21–23 SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: SEATTLE CHERRY BLOSSOM & JAPANESE CULTURAL FESTIVAL Seattle Center, Armory, Fisher Pavilion and Seattle Center Pavilion Free admission cherryblossomfest.org
22 KAC-WA WILL BE WEEDING AND TIDYING UP FREMONT PEAK PARK IN HONOR OF EARTH DAY Fremont Peak Park, 4357 Palatine Ave. N., Seattle 10 a.m.–2 p.m. kaserviceday.org WELLNESS: IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Free health screenings 206-288-7800 HELLO KITTY CAFE TRUCK WEST SEATTLE APPEARANCE Westfield Southcenter, 2800 Southcenter Mall, Seattle 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
35 YEARS
22 & 23
425-638-1000 usbks.org
SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN PEONY & BAMBOO FESTIVAL Seattle Chinese Garden, 6000 16th Ave. S.W., Seattle 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $5 adult donation seattlechinesegarden.org
MAY
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RECEPTION & PANEL DISCUSSION, “HISTORY, CONFLICT & PROMISE CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE UW” UW Seattle Campus, Walker Ames Room, Kane Hall 7:30 p.m. RSVP by April 26 uwalum.com/civilrightsuw 206-543-0540
RAINIER VALLEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND ANNUAL MEETING Ethiopian Community Center, 8323 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle 5–7:30 p.m. 206-722-5280
27 THE ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND AND LOCAL LEADERS DISCUSS THE STATE OF ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Northwest Wine Academy, South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W., Seattle 6–8 p.m. Free
29 SUKIYAKI DINNER Japanese Baptist Church, 160 Broadway, Seattle $9–$15 jbcseattle.org
30 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED SEATTLE & BELLEVUE KOREAN SCHOOL Westin Bellevue Hotel, 600 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue 4:30–7:30 p.m.
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6 ICHS’S BLOOM GALA WITH GUEST EMCEE LORI MATSUKAWA FROM KING 5 Sheraton Seattle Hotel, 1400 6th Ave., Seattle 7–9 p.m. $150 by April 9 $175 after April 9 christinel@ichs.com 206-788-3672 CHINESE RECONCILIATION PROJECT FOUNDATION ANNUAL DINNER AND AUCTION The Ming Palace, 8736 S. Hosmer St., Tacoma 5 p.m. $65/ticket $520/table of 8 tacomachinesepark.org
7 SOUTH SEATTLE’S FIRST VR POP-UP EVENT New Holly Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave. S., Seattle 3–6 p.m. Free admission washingtontechnology.org
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YOUR VOICE
■ COMMUNITY NEWS
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
asianweekly northwest
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Local chef Shota Nakajima braves gauntlet for Iron Chef title By Tiffany Ran NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Seattle native and chef Shota Nakajima is among a group of chefs from across the nation participating in the new Food Network show “Iron Chef Gauntlet,” where chef contestants compete for a shot at becoming an Iron Chef. The show, an iteration of a former show “The Next Iron Chef” (2007-2012), places contestants through grueling secret ingredient challenges and pits them against iconic Iron Chefs like Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, and Michael Symon. Symon was named an Iron Chef as the first winner of “The Next Iron Chef.” Nakajima watched the Japanese version of Iron Chef when he was younger and, at the young age of 27, might soon become one. At 18, he moved to Osaka, Japan and attended Tsuji Culinary Arts School before apprenticing under Michelin star chef Yasuhiko Sakamoto and returning to Seattle to work at Taichi Kitamura’s Sushi Kappo Tamura in Eastlake. Nakajima owns and operates Adana Restaurant in Capitol Hill, the new face of Nakajima’s previous restaurant Naka Kaiseki. “Kaiseki” is seasonally inspired multi-course meals created with a wide range of skills, technique, and precision, but Adana now serves Japanese comfort food at friendlier price points. The menu at Adana and Nakajima’s cooking style is inspired by his mother’s home cooking and Pacific Northwest ingredients. “I loved doing kaiseki, but because of the check
average, we weren’t getting a lot of regulars. Our regulars were coming back every 3 months. I like to see the same faces over and over again, so we dropped our price point and featured more homey food that’s still introducing different kinds of Japanese foods through that menu,” said Nakajima. Beginning Sunday, April 16 at 9 p.m., we’ll be able to see him battle it out against six other contestants to claim the Iron Chef title. Nakajima is cool headed about his television involvement — “It’s just cooking at the end of the day” — and regarding the prized Iron Chef moniker as “a cool title,” he celebrates more the challenge of taking part in the show. Now back at Adana from his whirlwind challenge, he along with the Adana team, have introduced a new spring menu, including an entree inspired by a dish Nakajima’s mother often made — sake braised clams with a touch of soy and sesame oil, which at Adana, also includes foraged morels and fiddlehead ferns. Nakajima keeps in touch with contestants he met through the show saying he plans to fly out to do a collaborative dinner with one of them. But is Seattle the home of the next Iron Chef? We’ll have to wait and see. For more information about “Iron Chef Gauntlet,” visit foodnetwork.com/shows/iron-chef-gauntlet. Tiffany can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
■ AT THE MOVIES
35 YEARS
A big hit in Japan, now showing in Seattle
headlining the 2017 Rain City Grand Slam By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “My poems investigate,” opined Paul Tran, the Vietnamese American poet, slam poet, essayist, and educator. “I don’t believe in reductive, agreeable poems composed neatly arranged punchlines and platitudes. I don’t believe in work that reifies oppressive hierarchies or structures of power. “I usually have a question and use the poem to dissect that question, rather than write a poem about things I already know and believe.” Tran, coming to town as a featured poet at the Grand Slam Championship at Hale’s Ales Palladium, on April 19, identifies as gender queer, and uses “they” pronouns. Their appearance is supported by the Rain City Slam organization. They serve as Poet-in-Residence at Poet Urban Word NYC. They also work at Barnard College,
Hunter College, and Columbia University, where they coach the poetry slam teams. The championship will feature nine competitors performing for five judges, each competing poet vying to become the lone representative of Seattle for the National Poetry Slam in Denver. Slam poetry, developed in Chicago in 1984, by Marc “Slam Papi” Smith, is a competitive game in which poets perform poems of a given time restriction, usually 3 minutes, and are judged by five random audience members. The judges offer a score of 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest score, and the highest scoring poets advance to the next round. Tran originally hails from San Diego, where they remember their single mother working to support family both in America and back in Vietnam. The neighborhood includes Vietnamese, Sudanese, Eritrean, see TRAN on 13
“Your Name”
By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY A teenage boy in Tokyo. A teenage girl in a small town called Itomori. Each one of them wishing they could be the other — or at least, something like the other. And when each one gets his/her wish … expect the unexpected. Master animator Makoto Shinkai, adapting his own novel, turns “Your Name” into a baffling obstacle course on
a formal level. It starts out alternating interior monologues with odd silences, and odder flashes of black screen. Shinkai’s forming something out of nothing, and since our two lead characters spend a lot of time inside each other’s heads, discombobulation seems in order. I’ve not read the original novel, but onscreen, his story comes right up to the razor’s edge, where discombobulation falls into chaos. We know that the boy, Taki see YOUR NAME on 13
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
YOUR VOICE
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Happy Birthday to Gene Moy! Wally Bowman Cari Murotani Sally Soo Nelson Eng Guy Trise Susie Relie Leland Kim Chester Chiva Terry & Judy Sao
Dancing to his 100th Birthday K.D. Mann Mike Dormann Vi Florian Wally Florian Pat Stalkele Linda Phan Rey & Grace Furigay Ben Sarver Helen Leetch Alphonso & Poma Rodrigues
John White Haishu Wang Clyde Bernhagen Bonnie Birch Nick Huting Youlon Ma Ahgni Mae Wong Molly Angeles & Tom Hoshikawa Cynthia & Jay del Rosario
Corey & Lorena Moy Vi Mar Elsie Leilani Taniguchi Marcella Thorson Donna Schukar Pamela Swan George & Ruby Tsao Dan & Shirley Ko Roxanne Stuart & Jadina Terashita
Gene Moy with his dance partners.
GENE’S PARTY AT JOYALE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT INCLUDED: 12 COURSE CHINESE DINNER, LIVE MUSIC FROM RANDY LITCH, THREE COUPLES OF PROFESSIONAL BALLROOM DANCERS WHO PERFORMED, AND OVER 200 GUESTS. THANKS TO CARI MUROTANI FOR COORDINATING THE FUNDRAISING EFFORT FOR THIS AD. SHE COLLECTED ABOUT $500. PROCEEDS FROM THIS AD, WILL BE DONATED TO KIN ON HEALTH CARE AND WING LUKE ASIAN MUSEUM
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Gene Moy and family.
asianweekly northwest
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35 YEARS
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG
OPINION
Remembering JULIE LOCKE
Photo provided by the Locke family
An unconventional woman in her times
Julie Locke and kids (from left) Gary, Rita, Jannie, Marian, and Jeffrey.
By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY I met the parents of former governor Gary Locke, the late Jimmy and Julie, when he was a Washington State Representative. Julie died peacefully last week at her home. She was 90. Most community members remember Jimmy more because he’s sociable and often cooked for Locke’s campaigns. Few realize that Julie had wit, determination, insights, and often, an opinion of her own. One time, I was invited to a lunch at a Bellevue golf club, where Julie and Jimmy were guests of honor. The late June Chen, the lunch host, said she needed to lose some weight. “I should lose five pounds. I will go on a diet after the holidays,” she said. “(Losing) five pounds would be pretty good,” someone said. “No, 10 pounds,” Julie quickly said in
English. Her words, stern eyes, and face expressed like a command. It was. Julie never sugarcoated her messages. Her approach was tough love. I thought guests would roll their eyes. Instead, everyone burst out laughing, including June, as she was direct and speaking the truth. When Locke announced that he was not running for a third term as governor, his fans were disappointed. His father was sad, Julie was not. Polls had shown that Locke would have likely won the third term, and Jimmy would have liked to see his son run again. Many times, Julie would be the lone dissenter, no matter how unpopular her stance. “Too much hard work (to be governor),” she said. She was aware of the pressures of the job and sacrifices her son had to make. Locke remembered how hard his mother studied English to pass the citizenship exam. Her example inspired Locke to use it in his speech to new citizens at many July
4 swearing-in ceremonies at the Seattle Center. She took English classes and often practiced English with her five children. Julie talked to me mostly in Cantonese, so I never had the chance to converse with her in English. It didn’t matter that her English wasn’t perfect. Julie knocked on my friend’s house in Seward Park for her son, when he was running for the state legislator’s seat in 1982. “You mean Julie’s doorbelling for Gary’s campaign?” I was amazed. “What did she say?” I assumed it would most likely be Jimmy who would have done that, not Julie. But to help her son, Julie would do anything. “Yep, she spoke in English and asked me to support Gary,” said my friend. I could imagine Julie’s boldness when she knocked. Julie’s maiden name was Eng. The Eng Family Association, one of the major family associations in Seattle, has not been politically active. Of the 35 years I have been publisher of the Seattle Chinese Post and Northwest Asian Weekly, I remember the Eng family co-sponsoring one fundraising dinner — Locke’s gubernatorial campaign in Chinatown. Thanks to Julie and Jimmy, the dinner raised thousands of dollars. Julie’s reading skills in English were impressive. Once, we talked about Seattle politics. She said she read about it in the
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
Photo provided by the Locke family
Julie Locke and husband Jimmy
Julie Locke with son Gary at the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Secretary’s office.
newspapers. A long-time subscriber of The Seattle Times, she read other English newspapers and magazines. She was not the type to skim through articles. She read every single line of the story from the beginning to end. Even though she had Parkinson’s, Julie tried hard to be independent. In the 1990s, she wanted to go from one spot to another at her son’s fundraising dinner. However, she struggled to walk. I went over to offer my help, and she said, “No need.” A few seconds later, she figured it out. “Step back,” she told me. I did, and had no idea what she was trying to do. To my astonishment, Julie literally see LOCKE on 12
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
YOUR VOICE
asianweekly northwest
OPINION
■ EDITORIAL
The United Airlines debacle
It’s bad. It’s really bad. United Airlines is America’s most hated company at the moment. By now, you’ve seen the viral video of the Asian man yanked from his seat on the plane, screaming, then bloodied as he hit his head on an armrest, and officers dragging his limp body along the aisle with other passengers filming, and others watching in horror. The social media backlash was swift. The internet trolling has been hilarious. The airline’s Twitter page has been hounded with #NewUnitedAirlinesMottos, such as “Fight or Flight? Let us surprise you!” and “Board as a doctor, Leave as a patient.” All kidding aside, because there was nothing funny about an elderly man — or anyone — being treated like a subhuman, did United really pick passengers randomly? Was Dr. David Dao chosen because he was an Asian male and perceived to be meek and compliant? Another passenger overheard Dao saying he was picked because of his race. Blogger Phil Yu, better known as Angry Asian Man, wrote, “If the ‘randomly selected’ passenger had been a blonde white lady, and she refused to give her seat, there’s no way in seven hells that these cops would have dragged her ass out kicking, screaming, and bloody. Such indignities are apparently reserved for 69-year-old Asian physicians.” Federal law allows airlines to boot a passenger involuntarily if a flight is overbooked and nobody volunteers to give up their seat. But was excessive force really necessary? In this day and age where virtually everyone has a smartphone or device that can record video, how can any
company allow this kind of thing to happen? Everybody at United failed that day. Aviation attorney Arthur Wolk who read all 45 pages of United’s Contract of Carriage believes the airline violated its own contract and that they “had absolutely no right to remove that man ... Absolutely no right to forcibly remove him from an airplane.” According to Wolk, airlines can deny you a seat, but once you’re on board, that’s a different
■ LETTER Thank you letter from BIJAC To the Editor, On behalf of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC), we are humbled and grateful for the overwhelming, heartfelt support and participation on March 30 honoring the 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the first Japanese Americans to be forcibly removed and exiled during WWII. This chapter in American history began on Bainbridge Island, from a Presidential Executive Order’s unconstitutional action that set in motion the banishment of an entire group of people based solely on fear, racial prejudice, hysteria, and a lack of political leadership. As Presidential Executive Orders are currently being issued targeting innocent people based on their religion, our island’s story of our newspaper and ordinary people courageously standing up to both the national tide and for their Japanese American friends and neighbors is both timeless and timely. It is a legacy of which we should be proud. Our deepest thanks to the hundreds of people who stood for hours and braved chilly weather to witness a remarkable
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ceremony and who attended the afternoon of BIJAC films and presentations, and for all of those whose support made the day possible, including our partners the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association, the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Parks and Recreation Department, the City of Bainbridge Island, Master Gardeners, Bainbridge Island Barks, and the scores of people who donated time, equipment, and labor to make the day as perfect as it was. Most of all, we honor and thank the dozens of survivors and their families who attended the ceremony and events, and we honor all of the 120,000 Japanese Americans who lived this story, one that we should never forget and to be inspired to have the patriotic courage to never repeat. “Nidoto Nai Yoni – Let It Not Happen Again.” ■ — Clarence Moriwaki President Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community
story. The whole concept that you can be taken off a flight because the airline overbooks is just wrong. And booting passengers just so your own employees can fly — even worse! Anyone involuntarily bumped must be compensated, according to Department of Transportation regulations. United offered only $800. They could have upped it to $1,350. Instead, United invoked the rules allowing them to bump passengers. That might have saved some money in the short term, but it also earned them a public relations nightmare. And speaking of PR, United’s CEO Oscar Munoz violated one of the biggest rules. When you mess up on a monumental level such as this, you apologize — immediately! The statement released on April 10 — “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers,” was a lame “apology.” Later that day, in a leaked email to employees, Munoz praised his staff and blamed Dao, calling him “disruptive and belligerent.” Blame the victim much? On April 11, Munoz sent another message to United employees in which he finally admitted, “No one should ever be mistreated this way.” In a bizarre footnote, PR Week last month saluted Munoz as its “Communicator of the Year for 2017” for the way he “transformed the fortunes of the beleaguered airline, galvanized staff, and set the business on a smoother course.” The smooth ride is over and turbulent weather is ahead.
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
HSIAO from 1 letters from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Pennsylvania. She told a local NBC television station that she found the entire experience completely surreal. “I opened them one after another, and they all were saying, ‘Congratulations! Congratulations!’ And I know that is something special.” In addition to the eight Ivy League schools, Hsiao also got accepted to Stanford, Johns Hopkins, the University of Southern California, Northwestern, New York University, Amherst, and many others. Hsiao, who immigrated to the United States when she was 5, said her essay about learning English had impressed the universities. The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) student has an impressive 4.67 GPA and an excellent 1,540 SAT score. Hsiao is also an accomplished playwright, poet, writer, and journalist. From a poem dedicated to Syrian refugees, to her interviews with Hollywood stars like Morgan Freeman and Chris Evans, her work has been featured in many publications, including TeenReads, Jet Fuel Review, and Los Angeles Times High School Insider.
The essay that got Hsiao into all eight Ivy League colleges
In our house, English is not English. Not in the phonetic sense, like short a is for apple, but rather in the pronunciation — in our house, snake is snack. Words do not roll off our
DAO from 1 said he was a doctor and needed to fly home for work — and he refused. That’s when airport law enforcement was called to remove him by force. Videos show Dao, 69, being carried by his arms and legs down the aisle with his midriff showing and glasses askew. He appeared to go limp after being slammed against a headrest and one passenger said he was “knocked out.” The image sparked an outpouring of support for the pulmonologist, who reportedly said during the altercation that he had to get home to care for patients the next day. Another video showed Dao with blood dripping from his face, saying “I have to go home.” The airline’s CEO on April 10 called the incident “an upsetting event to all of us here at United.” “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers,” said Oscar Munoz. In a letter to employees later that same day, Munoz wrote that Dao “defied” officers after being “politely asked to deplane” and became “disruptive and belligerent.” He defended his employees and said they followed proper procedures in dealing with the situation. United is now facing a federal investigation. The Department of Transportation has announced that it will particularly examine rules regarding overbooked flights, as well as the procedures for dealing with fliers who refuse to give up their seats. The incident has also prompted calls for a congressional investigation and a review of policy. The Chicago’s Department of Aviation confirmed that the security
tongues correctly — yet I, who was pulled out of class to meet with language specialists, and my mother from Malaysia, who pronounces film as flim, understand each other perfectly. In our house, there is no difference between cast and cash, which was why at a church retreat, people made fun of me for “cashing out demons.” I did not realize the glaring difference between the two Englishes until my teacher corrected my pronunciations of hammock, ladle, and siphon. Classmates laughed because I pronounce accept as except, success as sussess. I was in the Creative Writing conservatory, and yet words failed me when I needed them most. Suddenly, understanding flower is flour wasn’t enough. I rejected the English that had never seemed broken before, a language that had raised me and taught me everything I knew. Everybody else’s parents spoke with accents smarting of PhDs and university teaching positions. So why couldn’t mine? My mother spread her sunbaked hands and said, “This is where I came from,” spinning a tale with the English she had taught herself. When my mother moved from her village to a town in Malaysia, she had to learn a brand new language in middle school: English. In a time when humiliation was encouraged, my mother was defenseless against the cruel words spewing from the teacher, who criticized her paper in front of the class. When she began to cry, the class president stood up and said, ‘That’s enough.’ “Be like that class president,” my mother said with tears
officer who dragged Dao from his seat has been placed on leave, and it said in a statement that it does not condone his actions. According to The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Dao went to medical school in Vietnam in the 1970s before moving to the United States. Dao, who previously worked at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown, Ky. and once owned a medical practice, is a grandfather and father of five. His wife, Teresa, who trained at Ho Chi Minh University in Saigon, is a pediatrician in Elizabethtown. Four of their five children are doctors. Dao was arrested in 2003 and eventually convicted of multiple drugrelated offenses after an undercover investigation. According to documents filed with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, Dao was involved in fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances and was involved with a man whom he arranged to trade prescription drugs for sexual favors. In February 2005, Dao surrendered his medical license to the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. The following year, Dao joined the World Series of Poker (WSOP) circuit and spent the next decade at the tables, earning $234,664. His biggest win came during a game in Mississippi in 2008 when he took home $117,744, according to WSOP. In 2015, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure lifted Dao’s suspension and allowed him to practice medicine with some restrictions. ■ Staff can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Photo by Judd Lee
LOCKE from 10
Julie Locke and President Obama
35 YEARS
hopped like a rabbit more than two feet away from her original position. If her feet resisted walking, jumping was her means to reach her goal. She knew how to manipulate her own body and her nerves. In the last few years of her life, she was confined to a wheelchair and was unable to
in her eyes. The class president took her under her wing and patiently mended my mother’s strands of language. “She stood up for the weak and used her words to fight back.” We were both crying now. My mother asked me to teach her proper English so old white ladies at Target wouldn’t laugh at her pronunciation. It has not been easy. There is a measure of guilt when I sew her letters together. Long vowels, double consonants — I am still learning myself. Sometimes I let the brokenness slide to spare her pride but perhaps I have hurt her more to spare mine. As my mother’s vocabulary began to grow, I mended my own English. Through performing poetry in front of 3,000 at my school’s Season Finale event, interviewing people from all walks of life, and writing stories for the stage, I stand against ignorance and become a voice for the homeless, the refugees, the ignored. With my words I fight against jeers pelted at an old Asian street performer on a New York subway. My mother’s eyes are reflected in underprivileged ESL children who have so many stories to tell but do not know how. I fill them with words as they take needle and thread to make a tapestry. In our house, there is beauty in the way we speak to each other. In our house, language is not broken but rather bursting with emotion. We have built a house out of words. There are friendly snakes in the cupboard and snacks in the tank. It is a crooked house. It is a little messy. But this is where we have made our home.
TRUMP & XI from 5 unilaterally against North Korea’s weapons program — although a much heavier risk would be required to take military action against the nuclear-armed North, which has its artillery and missiles trained on a key U.S. ally, South Korea. The U.S. administration’s first recourse is very likely to be economic — pushing China to crack down on Chinese banks and companies said to provide North Korea access to the international financial system. In a possible harbinger of the kind of punishments Washington could inflict, a leading Chinese telecoms company, ZTE, was fined nearly $900 million in March for shipping sensitive U.S.-made technology to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. “They recognize that shows our clear determination to crack down on this sort of activity,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. and China “agreed to increase cooperation and work with the international community to convince the DPRK to peacefully resolve the issue and abandon its illicit weapons programs.” DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Tillerson said Trump and Xi noted the urgency of the threat of North Korea’s weapons program and that they reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearization of the divided Korean Peninsula. On trade issues, Trump called for China to “level the playing field” for American workers, stressing the need for reciprocal market access. He also noted the importance of protecting human rights, and asked China to adhere to international norms in the seas of East Asia, Tillerson said. As a candidate and president, Trump has taken an aggressive posture toward China,
speak much. But her mind was still sharp. When her caretaker asked my profession, I told her to guess. Julie pointed to the Seattle Chinese Post newspaper, giving her a clue. But the caretaker didn’t get it. “Are you a herbal shop owner?” the caretaker said. “Are you in restaurant? Are you…? Perhaps, why I admire Julie is that through grit and hard work, she and Jimmy managed to
labeling Beijing a “tremendous problem” and arguing that lopsided trade deals with China shortchange American businesses and workers. Some $347 billion of the $502 billion trade deficit recorded by the U.S. last year was with China. Trump said in a brief appearance before reporters on April 7 that he and Xi made “tremendous progress” in their talks and that he believes “lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away.” He did not elaborate. For Xi, who is entering a twice-adecade Communist Party congress in the fall, the meeting with Trump was more about stabilizing the critical U.S.China relationship and burnishing his foreign policy credentials than achieving a breakthrough. The only other foreign leader to be hosted at Mar-a-Lago during Trump’s presidency so far is Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close U.S. ally. Speaking alongside Trump, Xi said the two delegations discussed important topics and established a good friendship and working relationship. He noted the historic responsibility of both countries — the world’s largest economies and emerging military rivals — to work toward peace and stability. The visit was overshadowed by the missile barrage aimed at Syria, announced shortly after Trump and Xi wrapped up dinner on April 6. The strikes were retaliation against Syrian President Bashar Assad for a chemical weapons attack against civilians caught up in his country’s long civil war. China’s response was muted. Its U.N. ambassador, Liu Jieyi, never mentioned the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, or the U.S. airstrikes, at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on April 7. Liu focused instead on the need for a political solution to the six-year Syrian conflict. ■
raise five children successfully, leaving the Yesler Terrace public housing project — one went on to become a governor, U.S. Commerce Secretary, and U.S. Ambassador to China. She was more fortunate than her husband (who died before her) because she got to see her Americanborn son being named U.S. Ambassador to China in 2011. It was Julie who gave Gary Locke his Chinese name, Kai
Fai, which means giving the family brightness and glory. None of the other four kids carry names with that kind of implication and power. It was almost as if she knew that Gary — the only kid out of five — would become a household name in America and China. Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
YOUR VOICE
■ ASTROLOGY
APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
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Predictions and advice for the week of April 15–April 21, 2017 By Sun Lee Chang Rat — Is there an obstacle that is disrupting the flow? The slowdown could help you see something you might have otherwise missed.
Dragon — You are well suited for the task at hand. However, you have a choice whether to go forward or look for more of a challenge.
Monkey — Have you thrown in the towel before you have even started? There is only one way to know if you can make it and that is to simply try.
Ox — Much to your delight, the time you spent putting a special finishing touch on things, that others would leave as-is, is well received.
Snake — Knocking on the wrong door lately? Perhaps you were not meant for those, but another opportunity that will open up later.
Rooster — Did someone change the rules midway? Don’t let someone else define the game that you are playing.
Tiger — Looking for the most efficient use of what you have? If it can do double duty, then it will probably fit the bill.
Horse — A slim chance of success does not intimidate you. If anything, it inspires you to try that much harder.
Dog — Is your level of caution truly warranted by the circumstances? Being too guarded isn’t necessarily beneficial.
Rabbit — Don’t be guided by your guild. Rather focus on the intended result for the recipient of your generosity.
Goat — All that glitters might not be so precious up close. The sparkle and shine could diminish as you near.
Pig — A very narrow margin of victory should be a clue that the next time is by no means a guaranteed win.
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.
TRAN from 8
YOUR NAME from 8
and Mexican immigrants. “It’s powerful,” the poet reflected, “seeing refugees, immigrants, and families of color making sense of their new lives in the United States, its tragedies and triumphs, and exacting all their human gifts in the cultivation of futures that are, as many of us hope, brighter and safer than the futures we were once conferred. I saw this each time my mother swallowed the patronizing and racist and sexist ways her customers treated her, each time I took the bus two hours to and from high school at the campus of the University of California, San Diego, whose wealth and conservatism told me I wasn’t supposed to succeed in life or that I was inadequately built for the privileges others had.” Tran graduated from Brown University, and credited poets such as Franny Choi, Jamila Woods, and Fatimah Asghar. Tran especially points to Choi, who “taught me much about the elegance, responsibility, and radical potential of writing.” Poetry mentors, including Cathy Linh Che and Ocean Vuong, “helped me sharpen and re-sharpen my voice, turning the prism of what I have to say until I discover the most daring way to say it.” Asked about their distinctive approach to slam poetry, Tran mused, “Nothing I have to say hasn’t been said before, but that it’s said by me, by a person occupying the intersection of my identities and life experiences, enormously matters. “Benedict Anderson,” Tran added, “writes that the nation state forges imagined communities through print capital that clearly determines who the nation state values and serves. By writing from the intersection of my subject positions towards those of similar marginalized backgrounds, I aim to say that our stories matter. Our lives matter.” ■
Tachibana (voiced in Japanese by Ryunosuke Kamiki, in English by Michael Sinterniklaas), comes to change bodies with the girl, Mitsuha Miyamizu (voiced by singer Mone Kamishiraishi, in English by Laura Post), but exactly why this happens is never made clear, although several hints — some cosmic, others more earthly — get dropped. The narrative also plays around with time a great deal. I could eventually figure out, for the most part, the past from the present. For the most part. Until towards the end. The end, not to give away too much, becomes remarkably complicated, because for the first time, we’re not sure what’s real, in this fantasy Japan, and what’s taking place not-quite-on-Earth… Shinkai’s visual sense saves the day, as it always does. Frequently typed as “the new Miyazaki” (an appellation both men must resent by now, and which Shinkai disavows), the younger man’s underlying strength does not lie in fantastic landscapes, characters, or creatures. When he ventured into that territory with 2011’s “Children Who Chase Lost Voices,” he came off as passable, intriguing, but slightly rote. He returned to his love of the everyday for “The Garden of Words,” with renewed vigor. The man is in love with trains. He’s in love with views from moving trains, with views of trains themselves moving, through cities, through fields, through
countrysides at twilight. He’s in love with twilight itself, the last prismatic rays of a bright sun lasering forth from the west. He’s in love with train stoplights: orange, blue, white ice-cream hues flashing in sequence. He’s in love with cityscapes, especially nightscapes, the yellows and whites and crisp neons flashing from black. He’s in love with Japanese rice cookers, like slightly-fatter portable CD players, white with dark digital controls – they’ve figured somewhere in most of his movies since his short “She and Her Cat,” from 1999. I won’t give away too much of the story, especially since I still don’t understand aspects of it. I think over repeated viewings, which “Your Name” assuredly deserves, such story concerns will shake themselves out. The film includes Shinkai’s running complicated variations on an old, most honorable theme: Will love save the day? And beyond that, a crucial twist — will the good that people do, from that love, outlast their own memories, their own perceptions, of what they did? And is that more important than being able to put a name, any name, to love? ■ “Your Name” is now playing in theaters in and around Seattle. Check local listings for locations, prices, and showtimes. Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Have a story idea that you think would fit perfectly in Northwest Asian Weekly? We want to know about it. Send it to us at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com. OLYMPICS from 4 The NHL has not ruled out participating in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, though the IIHF and IOC had indicated that could be conditional on the NHL going to South Korea. For now, the league is making its 2017-18 schedule without a break for the Olympics. “We have previously made clear that, while the overwhelming majority of our clubs are adamantly opposed to disrupting the 2017-18 NHL season for purposes of accommodating Olympic participation by some NHL players, we were open to hearing from any of the other parties who might have an interest in the issue,” the NHL said. “Instead, the IOC has now expressed the position that the NHL’s participation in Beijing in 2022 is conditioned on our participation in South Korea in 2018. And the NHLPA has now publicly confirmed that it has no interest or intention of engaging in any discussion that might make Olympic participation more attractive to the clubs.” The world hockey body’s secretary general, Horst Lichtner, was briefing Winter Games federations on April 4 in a previously scheduled meeting at an Olympic sports conference in Aarhus, Denmark. “It is a pity but it is not a surprise,” ski federation president Gian Franco Kasper told The Associated Press.
Kasper, who represents winter sports on the IOC executive board, added: “There might be some players who don’t care what the NHL says.” The league has cited the 13-hour difference from Pyeongchang to the Eastern time zone as one of its concerns. There was a 13-hour difference to Nagano in 1998, six to Turin in 2006 and nine to Sochi in 2014. Team owners have long complained that stopping the NHL season every four years wasn’t worth it and they have been wary of injuries to star players. Still, many players expressed a strong desire to go, and Ovechkin has said he plans to go regardless of NHL participation. “I think the players know it’s very important for us to represent our countries,” the Washington Capitals star said last month. “Everybody wants to go there.” The NHL has not decided whether to allow teams to make decisions on a case-by-case basis about players participating in the 2018 Olympics. “If Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby and Nick Backstrom tell us, `We want to go play for our country,’ how am I going to say no?” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in February. It was not immediately clear how the United States, Canada and other countries will fill Olympic rosters, though national federations have already begun planning for this possibility. “We have to remember that some of the greatest Olympic
moments didn’t involve NHL players at all,” IIHF President Rene Fasel said in a statement. Hockey Canada said that the NHL’s statement was not what it was hoping for but will not change Olympic preparation. “We knew it was a very real possibility for many months and certainly respect the decision of the NHL,” USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean said. “The good news is that because of our grassroots efforts over the course of many years, our player pool is as deep as it has ever been and we fully expect to field a team that will play for a medal.” NBC Sports, which televises both the Olympics and the NHL in the U.S., said it was “confident that hockey fans and Olympic viewers will tune in to watch the unique style of play that occurs at the Olympic Winter Games when athletes are competing for their country.” Months ago, the league offered the NHLPA a deal allowing Olympic participation in exchange for a three-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement. Players turned that down . Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk, who represented the United States in Sochi, said he didn’t think players should give up anything to go in 2018. “We’re not going to give up something ridiculous,” Faulk said recently. “I’m sure they would take anything that’s ridiculous for the Olympics. It’s kind of like making a bad trade, and they would do it and we’re not going to do it.” ■
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
35 YEARS
SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.
HEALTH from 3 Unjali Gujral, a postdoctoral fellow with the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center and the study’s lead author, said researchers couldn’t say for sure whether the findings would be exactly the same for other East Asian ethnicities like Koreans or Japanese. Gujral said there is a shortage of studies with data on Asian Americans. “But we can speculate we would have a higher risk in all Asian populations for these heart disease risk factors at normal
weight compared to white individuals,” she said. Gujral said she hopes the study sparks dialogue between patients and doctors, so that people of color with normal weight get screened for factors considered risks for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. “The major takeaway would be just for individuals who are members of race-ethnic minority populations to be aware of this increased risk and to have conversations with physicians or healthcare providers about their increased risk,” she said.
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A replica of what the terracota warriors would have looked like when they were created.
A portion of the sculpture that depicts the convey...that was used to craft the terracotta warriors.
they go about designing such fantastic and intricate facilities? Then, the big puzzle — what is inside the emperor’s tomb? And we won’t know that till someone figures out how to open it without damaging what’s inside.” The exhibit gives you ways to satiate your curiosity with interactive pieces that let you craft your own terracotta warrior and discover the advantages of using stamps to mass produce pieces before bringing you into the Emperor’s burial chamber — a dark room with a tomb in the center. The chamber has not been opened yet and many myths surround it. Large amounts of mercury were found around the Emperor’s tomb or there could be booby traps, or worse — opening it could damage the Emperor’s remains, ending the exhibit with more intrigue. ■ The Terracotta Warriors are on display at the Pacific Science Center until Sept. 4, 2017. Janice can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Photo by Janice Nesamani/NWAW
site that is estimated to spread over 38 square miles. Now, the Terracotta Army has made its way to Seattle. A few members of the Emperor’s guard have come to life at the Pacific Science Center (PSC). PSC, along with the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, worked together with the Chinese government to give Seattle a glimpse into the history, mystery, and technology that surrounds the Emperor’s monumental burial site. The exhibit has a flair for the dramatic and it begins at the entrance, where you come face to face with a brave commanding officer. Several of these officers were positioned in the Emperor’s tomb. Much like the ancient Egyptians, the Chinese believed in burying their dead with the provisions and luxuries required in the afterlife. The First Emperor was obsessed with immortality, supposedly even having ingested mercury in a bid to live longer. So, it comes as some surprise that he decided to commission his massive burial site at the age of 13. Having built an impressive army to unify China during his lifetime, he decided on an ingenious way to take this might with him — creating intricately designed (yes they were painted) clay replicas. His mausoleum is the largest burial site in the world and contains over 8,000 lifesize terracotta figures of army generals and commanders, along with other luxuries crafted in jade and bronze. “There are 208 artifacts from the mausoleum site, including 10 warriors at the exhibit. What people forget is that there are more than just terracotta warriors. We have what we think is a musician, an official or clerk, a horse, and a cavalry man, among others at the exhibit,” said Dr. Lisa C. Niziolek, who served as the guest curator of the exhibition. She recommends visitors pay close attention to the bronze weapons that were molded for the large army. Qin Shi Huang introduced standardization of weights, measures, and currency in China. The exhibit has pieces of small change that show you how they were crafted. Even though he must have been an exacting ruler, one cannot deny that creating an army of over 8,000 terracotta figures by using more than 2.4 million pounds of clay and 70,000 workers is a feat to marvel. In awe of the scale of the First Emperor’s Army, Will Daugherty, president and CEO of PSC, says he wants people to be intrigued by this exhibit. “How did they create so many large, very intricate, and beautiful objects in a mass production technique 2,200 years ago — long before Henry Ford invented the assembly line? How did they know to use these materials? How did
Photos by Janice Nesamani/NWAW
TERRACOTTA WARRIORS from 1
Coins used during the period and weight measures.
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APRIL 15 – APRIL 21, 2017
35 YEARS