PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 33 NO 20
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
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32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
BLOG Losing at hum bow » P. 10
Gov. picks Yu
Photo by Sue Misao/NWAW
Hum bow chow down!
Judge Mary Yu is finishing up her work at the King County Courthouse before taking her seat on the Washington State Superior Court later this month.
By Rachel La Corte Associated Press
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu was appointed to the Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday, and she will be the first openly gay justice, as well as the first Asian American, to serve on the state’s high court. Yu, who turns 57 next month,
Setting aside work, politics, and business, representatives from across the community made time to come together for fun and games at the annual Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month activities at the Seattle Center on Sunday. Here, “The Mayor” (Ed Murray), “The News Anchor” (King 5’s Lori Matsukawa), “The Chairman” (Tomio Moriguchi of Uwajimaya), “The Uncle” (community activist Bob Santos), and “The Publisher” (Assunta Ng) participate in a hum bow eating contest. And the winner is...Tomio Moriguchi! See more on page 9.
For young Kate Lee, the design is in the details
was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 1. She replaces Justice James Johnson, who announced his retirement last month because of health issues. Johnson’s last day on the bench was April 30. Yu will be sworn in later this month. The salary for justices of the Supreme Court is $167,505 annually. {see YU cont’d on page 15}
Minority biz reacts to $15 min. wage
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
For Kate Kyung-ha Lee, an associate retail designer, design has long played a focal point in her life. Lee was recently named to retail magazine Visual Merchandising and Store Design’s Designer Dozen for 2014, an annual awards program which recognizes 12 up-and-coming designers nationwide under 35 for their creativity and contributions to the retail industry. Lee grew up in Seoul, South Korea, where the fastpaced, urban lifestyle would eventually influence her process and perspective on design. Lee’s father, a fine arts professor and famous cartoonist in South Korea, encouraged his daughter to explore the arts from a young age. Fine arts quickly became her trade, and her upbringing revolved around drawing, painting, and sculpture. Once she entered college, Lee decided to major in interior design. In 1999, Lee studied abroad for a year at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman. She planned to
Photo courtesy of Callison
By Vivian Nguyen Northwest Asian Weekly
Kate Lee is an award-winning designer at Callsion. Local business owners, from left, Yen Lam, Tan Nguyen, and Emma Herron make their opinions known at the mayor’s $15 announcement.
take ESL classes for a year, but finished them quickly and spent the remainder of her time exploring interior design classes. It was the catalyst for her A.A. degree, and Lee extended her student visa to finish her studies and stay in the United States. {see LEE cont’d on page 11}
By Staff Northwest Asian Weekly Seattle Mayor Ed Murray on May 1 proposed a phased-in increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next seven years — a compromise endorsed by both
business and labor that would make the city’s pay baseline the highest in the nation. The group 15 Now, led by City Council member Kshama {see $15/HR cont’d on page 14}
The Inside Story WORLD Yingluck ousted as Thailand’s PM » P. 4
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MUSIC Jazzing it up with Burn List » P. 6
HEALTH Exploring a new assisted living facility » P. 8
MOVIES Seattle Int’l Film Festival set to begin » P. 9
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MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
■ NAMES IN THE NEWS ID Rotary awards Lisa Khuu
Photo courtesy of Benjamin Rasmus
and has been an active and ardent supporter of grass root organizations. Through the 20 plus years as a career state employee, she was able to actively support and participate in affordable housing and healthcare equity initiatives. Commissioner Wada was selected as a representative for the 23-member U.S. delegation to Russia during the World Women’s conference, 1991 and in Beijing, China, 1993. Commissioner Wada holds a BA degree from St. Martins University.
YouTube stars visit Chinatown
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
The International District Rotary Club awards Lisa Khuu with a Rotary college scholarship. From left, Vijya Patel, president of Seattle ID Rotary; Lisa Khuu; Tia Filippelli, West Seattle High School counselor; and Paul Mar, Rotary member.
The International District Rotary Club has awarded Lisa Khuu with a Rotary college scholarship, which she will use to attend the University of Washington with a premedicine major. Khuu is currently a student at West Seattle High School, where she has a 3.9 GPA. Her professional goal is to help find cures for diseases. She was the “perfect candidate” for the scholarship, said her adviser, because “she combines academic excellence and a passion to help others with financial need.”
The Fung Brothers, David and Andrew, left, and Richie Le and Kevin Le, take a break while filming a music video in Seattle’s Chinatown.
Andrew and David Fung, also known as the rap/comedy duo The Fung Brothers, returned to their native Seattle on Comcast Cares Day to shoot a music video promoting Chinatown during the annual cleanup on April 26. Now based in Monterey Park, Calif., the brothers are best known for their You Tube videos of Jeremy Lin, Asian cuisine, and life in California’s San Gabriel Valley. A trailer for the Seattle video is viewable on YouTube.
Gov. appoints Wada to CAPAA Lori Wada, supervisor of the Statewide Health Information Benefits Advisors program at the Washington State Office of Insurance Commission, was appointed to the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs by Governor Jay Inslee on April 2, Lori Wada 2014. Wada immigrated to Washington from Seoul, South Korea when she was 18 years old. Wada has been a state government employee for over 25 years
Indian American confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State Puneet Talwar has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to a key diplomatic position, becoming the second Indian American to join the state department. Talwar, who was a key aide of President Barack Obama
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on the Middle East, will now serve as the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. Talwar will provide policy direction in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and plans, and defense trade. Puneet Talwar Since 2009, Talwar has been a special assistant to the president and senior director for Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf States on the White House National Security Staff. Prior to this, Talwar served as a senior professional staff member on the Committee on Foreign Relations of the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2009 and from 1997 to 1999, and was the chief adviser on the Middle East to then senator Joseph Biden in his capacity as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Talwar received a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Sims to chair state health board Gov. Jay Inslee this week announced the appointment of Ron Sims as board chair for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, which runs the state’s online marketplace for health insurance, the Washington Healthplanfinder. His appointment runs from June 15, 2014, to Dec. 15, 2015. Sims served for 12 years as King County Executive and Ron Sims served as deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2009 to 2011. He recently rejoined the board of directors of the Washington Health Alliance, an organization he helped found as the Puget Sound Health Alliance that brings together employers, physicians, hospitals, patients, health plan providers, and others to improve the quality of health care in Washington.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ community news
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
API artists invited to mix it up
ARTISTS UP will host a free session to connect and inform Asian, Asian American, and Asian Pacific Islander artists throughout Seattle, King County, and Washington. The mixer is designed to “share best practices through peer learning and build connections between artists and funders and demystify funding programs and processes.” Artists creating in dance, literature, media, music, theater, visual, and public art are welcome to the event on Monday, June 9, at Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), located at 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Seattle. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an art tour, followed by an informational and networking exchange from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Creative activities for school-aged kids and language interpreters will be available. Register at artistsup.org by June 1. For more information, contact Marcia Iwasaki at marcia.iwasaki@seattle.gov, 206-233-3949.
Mayor seeks candidates for ISRD board Mayor Ed Murray invites the public to apply for an open position on the International Special Review District Board, the official board that reviews façade alterations, signs, new construction, changes of use, and street improvements within the International Special Review District located in the Chinatown/ International District. An elected position — Position #3 (business person, property owner, or employee) — has become vacant and, in accordance with the board’s rules and procedures, is filled through a mayoral appointment. Individuals who live in the District, serve as a member of a community organization within the District, or demonstrate active interest in the community and in historic preservation are eligible and encouraged to apply. Candidates for the vacant seat are not required to be a business person, property owner, or employee. The appointee will complete the remainder of the elected term, which ends Nov. 30, 2014. The goals of the seven-member board are to maintain architectural character, cultural heritage, social diversity, and through the use of historic preservation, enhance the economic climate in the International Special Review District. Board meetings are held at 4:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. In addition, board members may be asked to serve on an additional committee, as the Board deems appropriate. The ISRD Board is made up of five elected members and two members who are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by Seattle City Council. The five elected members consist of: two members who own property in the Chinatown/International District, or who own or are employed by businesses located in the Chinatown/ International District; two members who are either residents (including tenants) or persons with a recognized and demonstrated interest in the welfare of the Chinatown/ International District community; and one member-at-large. Applicants must reside within the city of Seattle and should send a letter of interest and resume by May 28. Electronic submissions are preferred, if possible. Email letter and resume to: Rebecca.Frestedt@ seattle.gov, and reference International Special Review District Board in the subject line.
Acrylic painting by Dai Giang
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■ national news
Ex-refugee shows students they can succeed in America By Hillary Gavan Beloit Daily News BELOIT, Wis. (AP) – “You can become.” It’s a message Robinson Elementary School kindergarten teacher Le Tran imparts to her students not through her words, but by quiet example, said her principal, Sam Carter. After losing her father to war, escaping the fall of Saigon at age 12, surviving in crowded refugee camps, and struggling to rebuild a life in Beloit, Carter said Le has gone on to show struggling students that they, too, can succeed. And at Robinson, it’s a much-needed message. Eightythree percent of the students are on free or reduced lunch programs and 30 percent of them are English Language Learners.
Le said she often relates to her students who may fear for where they will stay that night, where their next meal will come from, or how they can learn a new language. “At night, I wonder about each one,” Le told the Beloit Daily News. “I’ve been in their shoes, and I understand how they are feeling.” Like many of her students, Le had a lot to worry about when she was just 5 years old. The little girl from Long Xuyen lost her father when he was shot during his service in the Vietnamese Army, leaving her large family struggling to survive. Because Le’s mother couldn’t afford to care for her children, she sent some of the older ones to live with and work for other families. At age 12, Le left her birth family to work as a nanny for another family. Le was babysitting for the new family when the father,
whom she called “Uncle,” was the major at a naval base. On April 30, 1975, her new employers were alerted that the Communists were taking over. The family, who now included Le, decided they had to leave immediately. And with the clock ticking, Le was unable to say goodbye to her birth mother and siblings. She had no idea if they would even survive. As the family of eight, Le, and a driver fled together in a small military Jeep, they were spotted by the Communists, who began shooting at them. The group of 10 raced to one of three ships waiting at the dock and made it aboard. Although the boat waited for higher ranking military officials, as the Communists inched in closer, the ship set sail, leaving many others behind. {see REFUGEES cont’d on page 12}
Travolta, Spacey, Kapoor wow ■ world news Court forces out crowd at ‘Bollywood Oscars’ Thai leader, but crisis continues By Thanyarat Doksone Associated Press
Anil Kapoor
John Travolta
Kevin Spacey
By Tamara Lush Associated Press
But it was Travolta that made the crowd come to life. Indian star Priyanka Chopra pulled him onstage and Travolta did some signature moves from his 1994 blockbuster film “Pulp Fiction” Later, actor Hrithik Roshan presented Travolta with an award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema, declaring the two-time Golden Globe winner “the coolest of them all.” “I’m honored. I’m humbled,” Travolta said. Hollywood actor and two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey also wowed the crowd. He presented actress Deepika Padukone with the award for Entertainer of the Year. Padukone and the co-hosts persuaded Spacey to don a Lungi — a sarong — and dance to a wildly popular song called the “Lungi Dance,” which was written for the movie “Chennai Express.” Before the show started, Travolta, Spacey, and dozens of Indian film stars walked slowly past hordes of international media outside the stadium. Unlike the Academy Awards, IIFA uses a green carpet instead of a red one. Like a Bollywood movie, the awards show was long, colorful, and
filled with spectacular song-anddance numbers. Some of India’s hottest movie stars received awards during the ceremony. While many were similar to Oscar-style accolades (best actor, best picture), others took a different twist (best villain, best performance in a comic role). “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,” a film about the life of Indian track and field Olympian Milkha Singh, was the big winner of the night. The 84-year-old Singh was in the audience Saturday. The movie won best story, best director, and best picture. It also won nine technical awards during a separate ceremony in Tampa on Friday. Farhan Akhtar (the co-host) won best male lead actor for his starring role in “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,” and Deepika Padukone won best female lead actor for her role in “Chennai Express.” “Bollywood” is the term for the film industry based in Mumbai (Bombay). Although it is used mostly to refer to the lengthy song-and-dance movies in the Hindi language, it’s become somewhat of a catchall term for Indian films. IIFA organizers say the Indian industry sells 3.6 billion movie tickets a year, about a quarter of them in the United States.
TAMPA, Florida (AP) – The Indian film industry’s top award show sailed into Tampa on April 23 with a piratethemed opening musical number and celebrities ranging from “Slumdog Millionaire” star Anil Kapoor to John Travolta and Kevin Spacey. Before a crowd of some 20,000, the International Indian Film Academy Awards started with the entrance of actors aboard a float built like a pirate ship — a nod to Tampa’s love of pirate-themed parties. The show informally known as the “Bollywood Oscars” are being held in the United States for the first time. The show was recorded and will be broadcast in June. IIFA says around 800 million people worldwide are expected to watch the event. Co-hosts Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar, dressed in swashbuckling outfits, demanded the key to Tampa from Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who was sitting in the front row at the city’s NFL stadium. I will give you this key if and only if you entertain us,” said Mayor Buckhorn, after which Kapoor and Akhtar climbed onstage and proceeded to have a mock sword fight.
BANGKOK (AP) – A court ousted Thailand’s prime minister on May 7 for abuse of power, accomplishing what antigovernment demonstrators have sought to do for the past six months and further widening the country’s sharp political divide. Deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s supporters called a massive rally for May 10 on Bangkok’s outskirts to Thailand’s prime minister, Yinkgluck protest the ruling. Shinawatra, has been deposed. The leader of the antigovernment protesters, Suthep Thaugsuban, meanwhile, told his followers that they would stage a “final offensive” on Friday and would achieve their goal of fully ousting the government. The Constitutional Court found Yingluck guilty of abusing her power by transferring the National Security Council chief in 2011 to another position. It ruled that the transfer was carried out to benefit her politically powerful family and, therefore, violated the constitution — an accusation she has denied. The ruling also forced out nine Cabinet members but left nearly two dozen others in their posts, including Deputy Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, who was appointed the new acting leader. Yingluck appeared on television two hours after the verdict to thank her supporters, emphasize that she was an elected leader, and assert her innocence. “We held true to the principles of honesty in running the country, and never acted corruptly, as we were accused,” said Yingluck, 46, who swept to power nearly three years ago as the country’s first female prime minister. During the past six months, Yingluck’s supporters, the Red Shirts, have generally steered clear of provoking her opponents, who have been blocking government ministries and conducting street protests in the capital. Still, more than 20 people have been killed and hundreds {see THAILAND cont’d on page 13}
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
■ world news
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NEW YORK (AP) – The tiny Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands is taking on the United States and the world’s eight other nuclear-armed nations with an unprecedented lawsuit demanding that they meet their obligations toward disarmament and accusing them of “flagrant violations” of international law. The island group that was used for dozens of U.S. nuclear tests after World War II filed suit April 23 against each of the nine countries in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. It also filed a federal lawsuit against the United States in San Francisco, naming President Barack Obama, the departments and secretaries of defense and energy, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. The Marshall Islands claims the nine countries are modernizing their nuclear arsenals instead of negotiating disarmament. It estimates that they will spend $1 trillion on those arsenals over the next decade. “I personally see it as kind of David and Goliath, except that there are no slingshots involved,” David Krieger, president of the California-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, told The Associated Press. He is acting as a consultant in the case. There are hopes that other countries will join the legal effort, he said. The countries targeted also include Russia, Britain, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. The last four are not parties to the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, but the lawsuits argue they are bound by its provisions under “customary international law.” The nonproliferation treaty, considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament efforts, requires negotiations among countries in good faith on disarmament. None of the countries had been informed in advance of the lawsuits. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined to comment on the lawsuit. Paul Hirschson, a spokesman for the
Photo courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Energy
Tiny Pacific nation sues nine nuclear-armed powers
Nuclear weapon test Bravo on Bikini Atoll. The test was part of the Operation Castle. The Bravo event was an experimental thermonuclear device surface event.
Israeli Foreign Ministry, said he was unaware of the lawsuit, however “it doesn’t sound relevant because we are not members of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.” “It sounds like it doesn’t have any legal legs,” he said about the lawsuit, adding that he was not a legal expert. The Marshall Islands were the site of 67 nuclear tests by the United States over a 12-year period, with lasting health and environmental impacts. “Our people have suffered the catastrophic and irreparable damage of these weapons, and we vow to fight so that no one else on earth will ever again experience these atrocities,” the country’s foreign minister, Tony de Brum, said in a statement announcing the lawsuits. The country is seeking action, not compensation. It wants the courts to require that the nine nuclear-armed states meet their
China law demands more transparency from polluters By Louise Watt Associated Press BEIJING (AP) – China has changed its environment law for the first time in 25 years, instituting public oversight of companies and allowing unlimited fines against persistent polluters, a response to the country’s environmental challenges and demands from the public for action. The amendments passed by China’s legislature on April 24, which go into effect Jan. 1, took three years to come about and went through four readings and two rounds of public consultation. They include a new chapter titled “Environmental Transparency and Public Participation,” which requires local governments to publish blacklists of violators and major polluters to monitor their emissions, and to disclose this data to the public.
Before, low fines for polluting gave companies little incentive to carry out costly modifications to reduce pollutants. Now, if violators who are fined fail to rectify the problem, the fine can keep increasing to an unlimited amount. Executives in polluting companies could face up to 15 days of detention. The amended law also allows registered nongovernmental organizations that have been dealing with environmental issues for at least five years to sue heavy polluters. The government was long indifferent to the environment as it pursued economic development. It has put in place measures intended to improve the country’s air, soil and water and made more pollution data available to the public following mounting pressure from citizens, who have become more aware of environmental problems and {see CHINA cont’d on page 12}
obligations. “There hasn’t been a case where individual governments are saying to the nuclear states, ‘You are not complying with your disarmament obligations,’” John Burroughs, executive director of the New York-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, said. “This is a contentious case that could result in a binding judgment.” Several Nobel Peace Prize winners are said to support the legal action, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Iranian-born rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi. “We must ask why these leaders continue to break their promises and put their citizens and the world at risk of horrific devastation,” Tutu said in the statement announcing the legal action. The Marshall Islands is asking the countries to accept the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction and explain their
positions on the issue. In the 1970s, Australia and New Zealand took France to the court in an effort to stop its atmospheric nuclear tests in the Pacific. The idea to challenge the nine nucleararmed powers came out of a lunch meeting in late 2012 after the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation gave the Marshall Islands foreign minister a leadership award, Krieger said. “I’ve known Tony for a long time,” he said. “We both have had a strong interest for a long time in seeing action by the nuclear weapons states.” Frustration with the nuclear-armed states has grown in recent years, as action toward disarmament appeared to stall, Burroughs and Krieger said. “One thing I would point to is the U.S. withdrawal in 2002 from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, that cast a shadow over future disarmament movement,” Krieger said. The treaty originally had bound the United States and the Soviet Union. “One other thing, in 1995, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty had a review and was extended indefinitely. I think the nuclear states party to the treaty felt that once that happened, there was no longer pressure on them to fulfill their obligations.” In 1996, the International Court of Justice said unanimously that an obligation existed to bring the disarmament negotiations to a conclusion. Instead, Burroughs said, “progress toward disarmament has essentially been stalemated since then.” Some of the nuclear-armed countries might argue in response to these new lawsuits that they’ve been making progress in certain areas or that they support the start of negotiations toward disarmament, but the Marshall Islands government is likely to say, “Good, but not enough” or “Your actions belie your words,” Burroughs said. Associated Press reporters Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.
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MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR THU 5/8
WHAT: “You might be getting married on June 30 – did you know?” Information on automatic conversions of domestic partnerships into marriages WHERE: Seattle City Hall, Bertha Knight Landes Room, 600 4th Ave., Seattle WHEN: 5:30–7 p.m. COST: Free RSVP: mjohnson@legalvoice. org, 206-682-9552, extension 113
SAT 5/10 WHAT: Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation 14th annual graduation dinner WHERE: 415 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle WHEN: 6 p.m. COST: $100 INFO: 206-718-8249, aclfnw@ aclfnorthwest.org WHAT: Pickleball clinic WHERE: Asian Resource Center, 1025 S. King St., Seattle WHEN: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. COST: Free INFO: 206-860-8533 or www. asianresourcecenter.org
WHAT: Artist reception for Wei Chen WHERE: Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma WHEN: 1:30–3 p.m. COST: Free INFO: 253-383-3900
SAT 5/13 WHAT: Evergreen Democratic Club luncheon: Sam Matsui of the Nisei Veterans Committee speaks about his internment at Minidoka and his service in the U.S. Army during WWII WHERE: Angelo’s Restaurant, 601 S. 153rd St., Burien WHEN: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. RSVP: fomalhaut2003@yahoo. com WHAT: City Council meeting on minimum wage and income inequality WHERE: Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park Ave. S., Seattle WHEN: 6 p.m. INFO: 206-684-8802
WED 5/14 WHAT: Album release concert by Burn List WHERE: Good Shepherd
Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle COST: $20 donation INFO: tableandchairsmusic.com
THU 5/15 WHAT: CAPAA 40th anniversary with dinner, speakers, entertainment WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 17338 International Blvd., SeaTac WHEN: 5:30 p.m. RSVP by 5/2: 360-725-5667, amy.van@capaa.wa.gov
FRI 5/16
WHAT: Music 4 Life “Awareness Concert” with headliner David Choi WHERE: Kane Hall, 130 UW campus WHEN: 7–9:30 p.m. COST: $12–$30 INFO: 206-856-7289
FRI 5/16 & SAT 5/17 WHAT: Comedian Ed Hill performs with the North Northwest Comedy Jam WHERE: Eclectic Theater, 1214 10th Ave., Seattle WHEN: 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. COST: $10–$12 INFO: 206-679-3271
SAT 5/17 WHAT: Author Kazu Kibuishi reads from the Amulet Series WHERE: King County Library, Bellevue branch, 1111 110th Ave. N.E., Bellevue WHEN: 2 p.m. COST: Free INFO: 206-634-3400, www. ubookstore.com WHAT: “Deco Day” explores Deco style in Japanese, European, and American forms, architecture, and anime WHERE: Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., Seattle WHEN: 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. COST: $13–$18 INFO: 206-654-3100 WHAT: Family Fun Day WHERE: Wing Luke, 719 S. King St., Seattle WHEN: 1-3 p.m. COST: Free WHAT: Book Reading, “Maliha Masood reads from her book Dizzy in Karachi” WHERE: Wing Luke, 719 S. King St., Seattle WHEN: 4 p.m. COST: Free
WHAT: Seattle Center Festál – A Glimpse of China: Chinese Culture & Arts Festival WHERE: Seattle Center Armory WHEN: 11 a.m.-6 p.m., COST: Free INFO: chinaartandculture.org or 206-684-7200
SUN 5/18 WHAT: Seattle Symphony to Give Free Community Concerts WHERE: Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion WHEN: 2 p.m. INFO: www.seattlesymphony. org/soundbridge/browse
THU 5/22 WHAT: Celebration of “2014 Odegaard Award Denny Hurtado” WHERE: UW Seattle Campus, Husky Union Building (HUB) Ballroom WHEN: reception at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m., celebration at 6:30 p.m. INFO: www.omadevents.uw.edu/ celebration, 206-221-0680, rchristi@uw.edu
■ arts & entertainment
Burn List: Jazz band with a different beat
By Irfan Shariff Northwest Asian Weekly Chris Icasiano has been playing the drums since he was 8 years old. He would practice for hours each day, playing along to the classics and favorites of his parents, such as the Beatles, Bing Crosby, and Chicago. Icasiano traces his love for music to his parents and Filipino American family. “Growing up, we always had large family functions, where there would always be tons of singing, dancing, music, and eventually live music,” he said. Icasiano and his brother would later provide the live music portion of family events. “I soaked up all the music that I heard around the house as a kid,” he said. Growing up in Redmond, Wash., in the 1990s, he was also exposed to the grunge scene and other popular music. He would play along to that, too, but his musical odyssey would lead him toward modern jazz and improvisational music. While enrolled at the University of Washington (UW), he studied music under Cuong Vu, a Grammy Award-winning trumpeter. Vu is an associate professor and chair of the Jazz Studies program at UW. Born in Vietnam, Vu is widely recognized as a leader in modern jazz. To Icasiano, Vu became more than just a teacher. He became a mentor, and eventually a peer. With keyboardist Aaron Otheim, a college friend of Icasiano’s, and saxophonist Greg Sinibaldi, Vu (trumpet) and Icasiano (drums) formed Burn List in 2012. Their self-titled debut will release on May 14. “We had been toying with the idea for a while because we knew that we all wanted to play together,” said Icasiano. “This
Burn List is, from left, Aaron Otheim, Greg Sinibaldi, Cuong Vu, and Chris Icasiano.
“We needed to band together to start making our own musical opportunities. We created this label to have an avenue to start building a support system for the young musicians in the area.” — Chris Icasiano group is unique because…it excludes the traditional role of a bass player.” Most jazz quartets comprise a horn instrument, a chord (e.g., a guitar or piano), and a bass instrument, such as the double bass and the drums. “We thought that we would be able to create a totally unique and individual sound that reinvented the functionality of the jazz rhythm section,” which is made up of just the drums and the keyboard, he said. The quartet is also unique because it brings together two distinct generations of Seattle musicians. Vu and Sinibaldi are music veterans and role models who inspired, taught, and produced artists, such
as Icasiano and Otheim. They call their music “eclectic, genre-crossing, current, and original.” Burn List is “a musical exploration of the deeply personal experiences of the band’s members,” according to the band’s biography. The album is produced by Table & Chairs, which Icasiano helped establish in 2011. “Table & Chairs functions differently than a regular record label,” he said. “We are essentially a volunteer collective and the income from record sales goes almost entirely back to the artist. “Its origination was largely the brainchild of many of us that went to school
together,” he said. Otheim is also a part of this collective, which also blossomed from the Racer Sessions at Café Racer in the University District, where Icasiano, Otheim, and other music students met every Sunday to create a new improvisational music scene. “Drew Keriakedes gave us Sunday nights to do whatever we wanted,” he said. “It was later that he was killed in the shooting at Racer on May 30, 2012. We owe a lot to him.” Keriakedes was a well-known local folk musician and regular at at Café Racer. That year, Table & Chairs produced the “Constellation” concert that won the Earshot Jazz Concert of the Year Award. In 2013, they won the same award for a performance at Benaroya Hall. They represent 12 bands and have produced 17 albums. “We needed to band together to start making our own musical opportunities,” said Icasiano. “We created this label to have an avenue to start building a support system for the young musicians in the area.” Burn List will be celebrating its album release on Wednesday, May 14, 8 p.m. at Chapel Performance Space in Good Shepherd Center, located at 4649 Sunnyside Ave N. Donations of $20 include admission and a CD. To learn more about Burn List and Table & Chairs, visit http://www. tableandchairsmusic.com. To learn more about the Racer Sessions at Cafe Racer, visit http://racersessions.com. Irfan Shariff can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
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MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
■ HEALTH
Aegis Living knows its market
The fireplace creates a warm atsmosphere.
Photos by Assunta Ng/NWAW
Everything is cozy at Aegis.
Aegis staffer Mitzi Weiland and general manager Rob Liebreich join residents Peggy Garner, Maura Stodola, and Debbie Roth in the dining room.
By Assunta Ng Northwest Asian Weekly You can easily mistake Aegis on Madison, which held its grand opening this spring, for a five-star hotel or an upscale condo when you walk in. Everything is cozy inside — a grand piano, open dining room, huge fireplace, antiques, stylish chandeliers, and elegant artwork on the walls. It is the newest assisted living building among Aegis Living’s 30-plus facilities. Except it doesn’t look like an assisted living facility. One reason has to do with its people. From management to regular employees, they are personable, cheerful, and professional. They address all the residents by their names. They are more like friends to them instead of caretakers. I was curious about this place because Aegis Living had announced its plan to build a multimillion-dollar Chinese assisted living property, Aegis Gardens at Newcastle, last year. Will the Chinese one be similar to Madison’s? What better person to answer this question than Aegis chairman Dwayne Clark himself? “The Chinese one is a step above this one [on Madison Ave.],” said Clark. Was he joking? I thought the Madison building looked great, but Clark said that the Chinese one is even better. “We have a mantra,” said Clark. “The last Aegis property just became the minimum standard for the next. What that means is we try to improve everything we do, every time we do it.” Aegis Gardens, at a cost of over $40 million to build, will break ground at the end of the year. It is incorporating good feng shui in design. The Aegis team understands what its Chinese clients want. It has a successful model in California, run by Chinese Americans who speak the language and understand the culture. Of course the game of mahjong is available to residents.
Clark knows that Chinese Americans are picky about food, so he plans to hire Chinese and Asian cooks to prepare daily meals for its residents. The property is not restricted to Asians. People who enjoy Asian culture and food can join, too. I went to check out Madison’s food the other day. General Manager Rob Liebreich invited us for lunch. We ate at a long table with some residents. I had a sandwich and Liebreich had salmon cake. The entrees looked appetizing. At first, I wasn’t really hungry. After a few bites, I was hooked. I practically ate everything on my plate. Afterwards, we learned that the head chef had worked in several big hotels and prominent restaurants. I sometimes complain about visiting nursing homes because of the smell, but Aegis Madison and other Aegis facilities are clean. I didn’t notice any smells. I think about my friend who moved to a retirement home in Redmond some years ago. I miss her. What my friend doesn’t realize is that when she moved outside Seattle, she left her community behind. The fact that she doesn’t drive poses many challenges — she doesn’t attend community events. No matter how much I love to spend time with her, I don’t. Location is important to consider when deciding to live in an assisted living or retirement home. Aegis on Madison is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Seattle, and right on bus lines. For seniors who want to maintain an active social life, downtown living is appealing. Baby boomers (born between 19461964) now make up 25 percent of the total U.S. population. The first wave of Boomers turned 65 last year. By the next decade, that number is going to rise to 40 percent. This is a significant market. Aegis Living is right on target. Assunta Ng can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
A grand piano sits just outside the dining room.
What an opportunit y to publicly recognize an Asian American visionary? Someone who's done things that have inspired everyone inside and outside the Asian communit y? The Northwest Asian Weekly would like to honor Asian Americans who have met one or more of the following criteria: » Takes risks others are unwilling to attempt » Paved a road for others to follow » Challenges the status quo that others have accepted » Acted on an unexpected opportunity to great success » Dedicated their lives to help improve the community and to help others » Invests in people others are willing to dismiss » Are defining their profession These visionaries can be lawyers, artsists, professionals, anything. The most important criteria is that they have a vision and are acting on it. To nominate a visionary, email rsvp@nwasianweekly.com. Deadline is August 3.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
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■ PICTORIAL Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!
1. Seattle Matsuri Taiko drummers 2. Cascade Kai Kendo 3. Lori Matsukawa and Bob Santos in a post-hum bow contest handshake 4. Tomo Moriguchi, hum bow contest winner 5. Enthusiastic children 6. Snoopy 7. Jeff Hattori and twin daughters, Kiyomi and Sakae 8. Lion’s Ambition
API
Heritage Month brought out the crowds to the Seattle Center on Sunday, where celebrants of all ages were entertained by drumming, music, dance, games, and a lively hum bow eating contest. Photos by George Liu/NWAW
■ at the movies
Seattle International Film Festival set to begin By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), running from May 15 through June 8, always brings fascinating Asian films to our town, many of them not available for viewing elsewhere. Here are three preview picks for the first few days of the festival:
“Monsoon Shootout,” playing May 15, 17, and 19, is from Indian director Amit Kumar making his first feature film. It dwells on Adi, a police officer played by Vijay Varma, who obsesses over, chases, and finally corners a notorious Indian hit man. In only a fraction of a second, Adi
must decide whether to pull his trigger. The rest of the film’s action proceeds before, after, and around this defining moment. And each of Adi’s choices produce — or could produce — a different future. {see SIFF cont’d on page 15}
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OPINION
■ editorial
What? There’s an Asian American history?
This week, The Princetonian, the newspaper of Princeton University, reported that the school has hired its first professor in Asian American history. Class begins in 2015. The most newsworthy aspect to this story is that until now this Ivy League school didn’t offer Asian American history. Princeton is late to the party, but it is welcome news. It’s always amazing what people don’t know about their own history. To young people especially, the past seems so long ago. But America’s past is so recent that it’s barely even considered the past yet. Ironically, our earliest history has Asian implications, considering Columbus thought he was in India when he “discovered” the place. Filipinos arrived in small numbers in the 16th century, but the bulk of our Asian American history begins in the 19th century, when Chinese workers arrived, followed by Japanese. These were not easy times for our ancestors. Now, the U.S. Census Bureau puts Asian Americans as the fastestgrowing ethnic group in the country, and that group is ready to study its own history. One benefit of studying the past is the impetus it can bring to put right what was wrong. This week, law students at the University of California, Davis, decided to do that by attempting to persuade the California Supreme Court to grant, posthumously, a license to practice law to one
Hong Yeng Chang, an immigrant from China. In 1890, the California Supreme Court turned down Chang’s application, citing the federal Chinese Exclusion Act — which barred Chinese natives from obtaining U.S. citizenship — and a California law prohibiting noncitizens from practicing law. “Admitting Mr. Chang would be a powerful symbol of our state’s repudiation of laws that singled out Chinese immigrants for discrimination,” said Gabriel “Jack” Chin, a professor at UC Davis School of Law and the student association’s adviser. At least two other states have granted similar applications. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court admitted George Vashon to the practice of law. The same court denied Vashon’s application in 1847 because he was black. In 2001, the state of Washington Supreme Court admitted Takuji Yamashita after he was denied a license in 1902 because of his Japanese ancestry. Congress repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943. According to The Princetonian, students are most interested in questions of identity, community, and sometimes politics. However, the new professor, Beth LewWilliams, is more interested in teaching them how looking at a minority and often marginalized community offers a unique perspective on U.S. history.
■ publisher’s blog
“Adding Asians back into the traditional white-andblack history of America shifts the entire story,” she said. “That’s what I hope they experience.” Lew-Williams said her course will explore the ways immigration law has shaped race relations in the United States and how Asians’ long history in America continues to influence racial categories and racial stereotypes today. She said students often possess no knowledge of the United States’ role in portraying Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners until they take her classes. Americans — native born and immigrants — who’ve had to fight against discrimination based on their ethnicity are well served by a deep understanding of their own history. For some reason, immigrants in many cases don’t share enough of their past with their children and grandchildren, especially the hard times. They are focused on providing opportunity for future generations. In turn, once people begin to study the past, they are often amazed by the tribulations they discover that their parents and grandparents suffered through. Knowledge is power. Studying their own history will equip students not only with a sense of gratitude, but also with the information they need to use their talents for the betterment of society.
Photos by George Liu/NWAW
How to be a loser?
Hum bow contestants, from left, Lori Matsukawa, Assunta Ng, Tomio Moriguchi, Ed Murray, and Bob Santos.
The Hum Bow Celebrity Contest was a new idea at the Asian American Heritage Festival, held at the Seattle Center last Sunday. When organizers approached me to participate, my initial reaction was that I wasn’t really a celebrity. Secondly, I didn’t recall that I had ever eaten a whole hum bow (means bread with fillings) myself before. I couldn’t eat a complete bow because it is big and filling. It’s hard to eat other foods after I swallow that much bread. In the contest, the rule was the contestants had to eat three big hum bows. That would kill me for the rest of the day. On the other hand, I didn’t want to be a spoiler. I wanted the audience to enjoy watching our show. So I thought of an escape. How could I cheat? How could I prepare myself to lose? By not eating! No, I couldn’t do that because hundreds of pairs of eyes would be watching. My scheme was to eat less while still providing entertaining value to the organizers. If they allowed me to do that, the game was on.
The contest At 12:30 p.m., I went to Dim Sum King and bought an order of chicken feet before we drove to the Seattle Center. At 1:20 p.m., the contest table was set up and the volunteers laid out three hum bows per plate. At about 1:25 p.m., all the contestants arrived. Mayor Ed Murray was smiling, ready for the race. Uwajimaya chairman Tomio Moriguchi said he had eaten little in the morning, so he was all set to gulp down the bows. KING TV Lori Matsukawa was practicing with her hands on how to grab the bow fast. Uncle Bob Santos danced his way to the back of the stage as if he didn’t really know what the contest was about. Me, I was sneaking the bow to the table. I took one chicken foot out of the bow and hid it behind two hum bows. The contest began. Bob and Lori, staring at the chicken feet on my plate, were puzzled, but didn’t have much time to fuss about. Tomio was ahead. He surely was hungry. Hey, he owns a grocery store! That’s his advantage. The mayor looked like he was having fun, even though he was way behind. I
Income Inequality Advisory Committee member Gordon McHenry, front, was joined by fellow member and Seattle City Councilman Nick Licata and Mayor Ed Murray at the announcement of the $15 wage proposal.
dangled out my chicken feet after I almost finished eating a bigger part of the bun. I kept sucking the feet. It’s just a show. My job was to entertain. The crowd scratched their heads. Bob tried to pass the leftover bun to other contestants. Tomio won the plaque, winning the eating contest. He must have been practicing for a whole week. I got a title, too, “The biggest loser of the Asian American Heritage Festival.” Being loser That’s not the only thing I lost. Minority businesses lost big time after the mayor declared the $15/hour minimum wage on May 1, to be implemented in 2015 with a phase-in period of seven years. The newspaper business is already struggling every week. How can we afford to pay some staff members $15 an hour in a few years?
I didn’t feel like cooking dinner that day, so my family took me to dine in a downtown steak restaurant to cheer me up. Food usually does the trick. I asked the bus person, “Are you happy you have $15 minimum wage next year?” He turned from a smile to none when the question popped up. He didn’t know who I was or what I do. “I am worrying,” he said. “Why?” I asked. “The restaurant might cut the number of workers,” he said. “We have a big staff (about 150 people).” He explained that the wait staff shouldn’t get a raise because they make lots of money through tips, but the kitchen folks should get a raise. After dinner, we went out to get our car. I asked the same question to the valet parking attendant. He had no idea what I {see BLOG cont’d on page 15}
Want to get the inside scoop on the latest happenings of Seattle’s Asian American community? Follow Publisher Assunta Ng’s blog at nwasianweekly.com under the Opinion section.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ letter
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
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OPINION
Be careful in downtown Seattle Dear Editor,
Photo courtesy of Debadutta Dash
This is to share some horrible experience I had recently. Fortunately, there was no physical injury involved here. My vehicle, parked on a street got vandalized near the Terry Ave. and Stewart St. crossing on the night of Thursday, April 29. Someone smashed the rear windshield and stole my gym bag from the car. The incident took place between 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. I have reported it to the SPD and am still waiting to receive the case number. Even though the damage is mostly covered by my insurance company (I’m lucky to have the comprehensive
coverage with a low deductible), it is a sheer waste of time and resources, and was very scary. After talking to many business owners and residents in the neighborhood, I learned that this type of vandalism has been happening on a pretty regular basis. I feel that the business owners and the City of Seattle need to collaborate and install security cameras at strategic locations to deter these activities and ensure the safety of the public and their property. Please be careful and cautious on your next visit to Seattle downtown. — Debadutta Dash Seattle
Debadutta Dash and his damaged car.
{LEE cont’d from page 1} Interior design covers a range of industries, including retail, hospitality, corporate, and residential. Of these subcategories, Lee is most drawn to retail because she likes the freedom if offers. “There are fewer parameters when it comes to retail [design],” she said. “There are more options and freedom on perspective. Compared to office or residential design, retail presents more opportunities to express design language.” Callison, a global architecture and design firm based in Seattle, hired Lee in 2007, soon after she graduated from WSU. She has primarily taken on high-end department store clients. Inspiration comes to Lee through the places she visits, and often appears in the everyday things she sees. “Everything can be translated into design,” she said. “I try to seek it out everywhere, even if it’s something not related to design.” Lee recalled a recent trip she took to New York City, where she stopped in a store named Anya Hindmarch, a customization boutique that personalizes its accessories for clients. Instead of focusing on the store’s layout or design, Lee turned her attention to the boutique’s face-to-face bespoke service, which allows designers to interface with customers directly about their
personalization needs. “With technology, people want easy access to stuff these days. And that’s why I was fascinated by Anya Hindmarch’s attention to detail and customer service — it’s very authentic, and always aims to please the customer in intimate ways.” These are the little details that Lee notices and carries back to her work and client relationships. She may, for example, mention Anya Hindmarch’s intimate customer service to her clients as a way for them to benchmark their own services for possible future rebranding. Lee’s biggest professional trial to date came from a project with the fragrance section for New Yaohan, a luxury department store in Macau, China. The project forced Lee and her team to deal with three unique challenges: working within the tall and narrow limitations of the space, figuring out how to showcase 20 different fragrances within these physical confines while also meeting each brand’s rules for displaying products, and accommodating the department store’s unified brand experience. On top of these challenges, Lee needs to keep in mind how to make all of this aesthetically attractive to the customer. After extensive research, Lee and her team came up with the concept of using a beautiful gold mirror that highlights not just the space
and fragrances, but also creates a unique experience of being inside a jewelry box upon entrance. “It was challenging, but the result was cool,” said Lee of the project. “We managed to catch the customer’s eye with this space, while also making sure to celebrate each unique fragrance housed in this store.” Lee hopes to follow in the footsteps of her mentor, Christian Jochman, who is a director and principal at Callison. Jochman is unique in that, as a director, he juggles the responsibilities of both a clientfacing designer and project manager. Few principals handle both the creative and
business sides of design. “He is my idol,” said Lee of Jochman. “These days, I’ve been traveling a lot with principals and directors [from Callison] to not just present designs to clients, but to attend work sessions and meetings. I’m slowly learning the [business] process, and one day, I hope to take on more managerial responsibilities.” For more information, visit www.callison. com or www.vmsd.com. Vivian Nguyen can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
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KING COUNTY INVITATION TO BID Project: Asphalt Paving Maintenance Work Order 2014-2015, C00890C14 Sealed Bid Time/Date: 1:30pm, May 13, 2014 Location Due: King County Procurement & Contract Services Section, Contracts Counter, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 Engineer’s Estimate: NTE $850,000.00 Scope of Work: The work under this Contract will require that the Contractor be available to mobilize and perform paving maintenance work on facilities maintained by King County Transit. The work includes, but is not limited to, ACP patching, repairing, overlays and sealcoat applications; excavation and placement of subgrade, sub-base, base materials; utility frame adjustments; wheel stop placements. The work may also include installation of storm drainage structures such as catch basins, manholes, vaults and storm piping. All work will be authorized by individual Work Orders as directed by the Project Representative and in accordance with the Contract documents. Work Orders will be either for a defined scope of work or for emergency repairs. Work site: Various Transit facilities located throughout King County, Washington. The work performed under this Contract shall not exceed $850,000.00 and the initial Contract Time shall not exceed 365 calendar days from the date of Contract execution by the County. The County does not guarantee any minimum amount of work
or that the dollar amount of the Work Orders issued will total $850,000.00 during the duration of this Contract. At the County’s sole discretion, this Contract may be extended by change order for one additional year and for an additional amount not to exceed $850,000.00. In no event shall the Contract Time be greater than two years from the date of Contract execution by the County. At the end of the first year, any remaining dollar balance within the original not to exceed Contract Price will not be carried over to the second year of the Contract. Contact Information: Kelly McKeever, Contract Specialist, (206) 263-9389, TTY Relay: 711, Fax: (206) 296-7675, or kelly.mckeever@kingcounty. gov. Submit all bidder questions in writing via email. No verbal answers by any County personnel or its agents and consultants will be binding on the County. Pre-Bid Conference: No pre-bid or site tour is scheduled. Subcontracting Opportunities: Asphalt Grinding, Sawcutting, Trucking, Asphalt Supplier Apprenticeship Requirements: No minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement. SCS Utilization Requirements: The Contractor shall ensure that at least 10% of the total price for all executed work orders shall be performed by King County Certified SCS Firms over the life of the Contract.
Bid Bond: Not less than five percent (5%) of the Total Bid Price. Bid Documents Electronic copies of the plans, specifications, reference documents, and any addenda for this solicitation are available on the King County Procurement website shown below. Printed documents may also be ordered by contacting United Reprographics at 206-382-1177. Copies of documents are not available for purchase from King County, but are available for review 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. M thru F. at the Contracts Counter: Chinook Bldg, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104. To receive email notifications of addenda or other important information concerning this solicitation, you must register to be a planholder under the “Solicitations” tab at the following internet link: Website: http://www.kingcounty.gov/procurement/ solicitations This information is available in alternate formats for individuals with disabilities upon advance request by calling 206-263-9400, TTY Relay: 711. Notes: Bids received after Sealed Bid Time will not be considered. Bidders accept all risks of late delivery, regardless of fault. King County is not responsible for any costs incurred in response to this Invitation to Bid.
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MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
{REFUGEES cont’d from page 4} Le and at least 500 refugees then languished on the boat for another two weeks, eating only small portions of bread, fish, and rice. After running low on food and water, the refugees resorted to drinking the salt water. With the boat packed body-to-body and food running out, Le said she didn’t really know where her boat was even headed. The boat Le was aboard finally was spotted after two weeks at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard near the Philippines. The Coast Guard guided the boat in and sent up the refugees 10 people to a tent. The uncle signed up for a sponsor in America. “But we had big problem, with 10 people, a lot of places wouldn’t take us,” she said. So the waiting dragged on for about three months. Without a sponsor, the group was sent to a refugee camp in Guam and eventually to a camp in California. They finally received news that a group of sponsors was waiting for them — families of First Baptist Church of Beloit. Le’s group of 10 became the first family of Vietnamese people who came to Beloit in 1975. Upon their arrival in Beloit, they lived in a five-bedroom home. Various volunteers with the church took the family grocery shopping, and another Vietnamese woman, Co Weeden of Rockton, helped Le’s family learn to survive in America. She always remembers her first day as a Hackett Elementary School student, describing herself as painfully shy, “a little mouse getting out of a little hole.” Not knowing English at the time, she was terrified. But slowly, she started to find her way. She said the uncle found a job at a mattress factory. She had a tutor at Hackett and all the children hovered around her, making her feel loved. Her tutor was the late Ethel Matthews. Matthews would pick her up every weekend to teach her English. “I called her grandma,” she said. Although she was getting more comfortable at school, her home life proved challenging. Because she wasn’t one of her uncle and aunt’s birth children, she said she never truly felt like she was a part of the family. And as she experienced more success, she was saddened by the thought of her mother and siblings back in Vietnam. She had no idea if they were dead or alive for five more years. Le said if her mother had survived, she didn’t know if she was moved or how to get in contact with her. “The first three months, I would cry a lot, but I pulled myself together and said, ‘I’m going to do it. I have to make something of myself,’” she said. Five years after she arrived in Beloit, she finally received the news that she’d been waiting for. “I came home from school one day and my aunt said she had a letter from my mom. I was stunned,” she said. From her letters, Le learned that her birth mother was running a small vegetable stand in attempts to support the family. She was relieved to hear her mother was still alive and she was able to start corresponding with her birth family, although the Communist censorship of the letters and travel delays kept their communications at least six months behind. It was around the time she reconnected with her birth
mother that she made other important connections, with Ann Firlus and Edie Porter, math teachers with the School District of Beloit when Le attended Roosevelt Junior High. Firlus recalled meeting Le in 1978 or 1979, calling her a hardworking and charming child. “She was just one of those kids that sticks with you,” Firlus said. Although Le was struggling with word problems in math, she persevered. “She was just a neat kid,” Ann Firlus said. “We sort of struck up a friendship, and kept in contact all the way through her high school career.” Firlus said she was struck by how kind, gentle, and happy Le was despite her circumstances. “I’m grateful that we ended up maintaining a friendship, which developed into something more,” Firlus said. Le continued to study hard and graduated from high school in 1982. She first pursued a career as a medical assistant after attending Blackhawk Technical College. However, after working at the job for three months, she felt depressed working with sick people and trying to cheer them up. Le said it was a friend who first encouraged her to consider pursuing a career in education. “She said, ‘Look at all these people who helped you. Maybe you can return it to the community,’” Le said. Although Le wanted to give back to the community, she was still struggling to make it. There was one nagging issue left unresolved, her yearning for her biological family. At age 19, Le was working three part-time jobs. She worked at a toy shop and food store in the former Beloit Mall, and at a laboratory equipment manufacturer. As she struggled to make ends meet, her dream of becoming a teacher seemed ever further out of reach. It was at this time that she called upon her longtime friend and mentor, Ann Firlus. Firlus invited Le to stay at her house for a while. It gave the young woman the stability and love she needed to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Firlus said Le was a good fit for the family and when a family friend told her that adult adoptions are legal in Wisconsin, Firlus and her husband proposed the idea to Le, who eagerly accepted. “I was so ecstatic. Somebody actually wanted me to be a part of their family at this age. I didn’t have to think about it,” Le said. “Adults need a family and a sense of belonging to a family,” Firlus said. “We all do.” In February of 1984, Le Tran became Le Firlus, and
finally had an officially recognized family of her own. She stood before a judge with Ann and Bruce Firlus to formalize her becoming a part of the family, a forever commitment. “Le was aware that there’s no turning back when you form a family. A family was forever,” Firlus said. “She was looking for a family in the U.S. to feel a part of. We were lucky she chose ours to fill that need.” Firlus said the family celebrated with an open house, inviting everyone the family knew. Le and Ann were sideby-side making egg rolls, their relationship as natural and seamless as ever. Although their union had become officially recognized, Firlus stressed she always felt Le was a part of her family. “Somehow Le just fit. We are just so lucky she was willing to formalize that relationship,” Firlus said. “We celebrate the day she came to live with us every year, along with her birthday.” Once Le had finally found a family, she relaxed a little more, finished her education, and was finally ready to open up her heart to love. Le graduated from the University of WisconsinWhitewater with a degree in teaching and began substitute teaching for the Beloit School District in 1987. After getting familiar with all the schools in the district, she interviewed for a position at Robinson in 1989. It was during her early teaching days she met Minh Tran, who had escaped Vietnam on a boat with 20 people. Like Le, Minh had fled without his birth parents. Minh’s birth parents had helped build a boat for a family of 10 to escape Vietnam in 1978. In exchange for their work, the boy was able to board the boat, leaving his family in search for a better life. He had encountered pirates at sea, raiding the refugees of their little money and gold. Minh hid his mother’s ring in his mouth, which would later become the meager investment he brought to start his life in Beloit. It was Firlus and retired math teacher Edie Porter who put Minh and Le on a blind date — a movie in Beloit. Le and Minh married on Aug. 8, 1987. By 1999, Minh, Le, and their daughters, Samantha and Kimberly, took an emotional trip back to Vietnam, where they met Minh and Le’s birth families in person for the first time since they fled after the fall of Saigon. Presently, Le is still teaching at Robinson, and feels she is right where she belongs with the kindergartners. She said they love learning and tend to tell the truth. Le and her two daughters are forever connected to Ann Firlus, as they are family. “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I want to thank them for all their support,” Le said. For Firlus, her daughter Le has been a rich addition to her life. And despite what Le’s been through, Ann said she’s never shown any bitterness or pity over it. “Le’s a terrific woman, and well worth getting to know. She overcame a lot of adversity. She and her husband have experienced a lot in their lives that those of us who are born here can’t really understand or imagine,” Firlus said. Le said she will likely retire from Robinson, and hopes to continue to guide and comfort her kindergartners. Some of her students have many struggles, they may wonder which relative is picking them up or if they have a safe and secure home to be a part of at the end of the day. And Le knows just how that feels.
{CHINA cont’d from page 5} health risks. However, lax enforcement of existing standards has been a barrier to protecting the environment, as local governments have tended to pursue projects that generate high growth regardless of how polluting they are. To address that, the amended law says environmental quality should be a major factor in assessing officials’ performances. Environmental campaigner Ma Jun said the amended law contained “breakthroughs,” in particular in stating that citizens have the right to know polluters’ emissions data, which makes it harder for local officials to protect violators. “If the data is made public it will be harder for those mayors to try to interfere with the enforcement” of environmental regulations, Ma said. In April, the government released a study showing nearly one-fifth of the country’s farmland is contaminated with toxic metals including cadmium, nickel and arsenic. A week later, a ministry report said nearly 60 percent of groundwater at sites throughout China has excessive amounts of pollutants.
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32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ astrology
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
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For the week of May 10–May 16, 2014 By Sun Lee Chang Rat — An important issue needs your full attention this week. Give it the time and focus that is necessary for a good resolution.
Dragon — Does it feel like you are just going through the motions today? Take charge tomorrow to get the most out of your day.
Monkey — Are you procrastinating on something that should have been dealt with long ago? Make it a point to get it taken care of this weekend.
Ox — It is all too easy to get stuck in a rut. Shake things up for the better by adding a new element to your routine.
Snake — What separates a good excuse from a bad one? A simple statement is usually far superior to explaining too much.
Rooster — Before you delve too deep, ask yourself if you are prepared for what you find. If the answer is no, then you may want to back off.
Tiger — You owe it to yourself to not give up on a dream. Regardless of the outcome, the experience you have gained getting there is the real treasure.
Horse — Could you benefit from some time off? A vacation that allows you to get away from it all would be ideal.
Dog — You have a tendency to be very understanding and empathetic, almost to a fault. It’s alright to push back once in a while.
Rabbit — Conflict could arise from an unlikely source. It is worth the effort to figure out what is causing the friction.
Goat — Given the choice between criticism and flattery, the latter is preferable. However, be honest about what is pleasing to you.
Pig — A mixture of business and pleasure on a trip can be fun, but remember that one takes priority over the other.
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 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 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.
{THAILAND cont’d from page 4} injured since November in sporadic gun battles, drive-by shootings and grenade attacks. Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan said Saturday’s rally would be a show of strength, but that further attempts to dislodge the government will be met with force. “Our stance has been clear,” he said. “If an illegal prime minister steps in, we will fight. If there’s a coup, we will fight.” Thailand’s long-running political crisis began in 2006 when Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by a military coup after protests that accused him of corruption, abuse of power, and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. A military government after the coup rewrote the constitution, giving extensive powers to the courts and to agencies outside the Cabinet’s authority in an attempt to reduce executive and legislative power. Thailand’s courts, like its military, are seen as bastions of anti-Thaksin conservatism, and have a record of hostile rulings toward the Shinawatra political machine, which is fueled by billions of dollars that Thaksin made as a telecommunications tycoon. Analysts said the May 7 ruling further sullied the courts’ reputation. “The credibility of the justice system has vaporized,” said Thongchai Winichakul, a professor of Southeast Asian history at the University of Wisconsin. “The royalist conservatives may celebrate this judicial coup. But the world will mourn over the death of another democracy.” Yingluck is despised by Bangkok’s elite and middle class as a puppet of her brother. But she and her Pheu Thai party remain highly popular among the country’s poor majority, particularly in the north and northeast. Her opponents have been demanding that she step down to make way for an interim unelected government that would remove the Shinawatras’ influence from politics. Thaksin’s supporters say the Thai establishment opposes him because their position of privilege has been threatened by his electoral popularity, cemented by populist programs that benefited the less well-off in the countryside. Yingluck’s ouster casts doubts on whether new elections planned for July will be held, following polls in February that were disrupted by the protesters and then invalidated by the court. Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this report.
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{$15/HR cont’d from page 1} Sawant, wanted to see an immediate wage hike for large businesses and a three-year phase-in for organizations with fewer than 250 full-time employees. They are gathering signatures to get their competing $15 wage initiative on the November ballot. The mayor’s proposal gives businesses with more than 500 employees nationally at least three years to phase in the increase. Those providing health insurance will have four years to complete the move. Smaller organizations will be given seven years, with the new wage including a consideration for tips and health care costs over the first five years. Once the $15 wage is reached, future annual
increases will be tied to the consumer price index. Murray said 21 of 24 members of his Income Inequality Advisory Committee, which included representatives of business, labor and community groups, voted in favor of the plan. “I think that this is an historic moment for the city of Seattle,” Murray said. “We’re going to decrease the poverty rate.” The measure now goes to the City Council for discussion. Fewer than 1 percent of the businesses in Seattle have more than 500 workers in Washington state, according to a study for the city by the University of Washington. Labor leaders congratulated the mayor for starting
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a national conversation, which many credit to Sawant, who held a press conference following the mayor’s announcement. She said it wasn’t good enough. “I don’t support phasing-in for big business,” said Sawant. “McDonalds and Starbucks have no justification for keeping their workers in poverty for a day longer. Every year of a phase-in is another year of poverty for workers.” Several local minority business owners reacted negatively to the announcement. Yen Lam of Lam’s Seafood called it “disappointing.” “Minority businesses are going to be pushed out of the city,” Lam said. “It’s a 61 percent increase in five years. That’s drastic. The mayor needs to hear from both sides of the story.” “The mayor’s proposal is too fast, too much,” said Susanna Tran, agent for West Coast Commercial Realty. Tran’s business isn’t directly impacted, but she said adverse effects on other businesses could help hers. “Now that many small businesses will be shut down because of this proposal, it actually benefits my business,” said Tran. “With more space available, I can approach national clients to come into Seattle.” “The increase is outrageous,” said Emma Herron, event coordinator of the Great Wall Mall. “Why dictate this to small businesses? Can't the mayor just leave the businesses alone?” Steve Boyer, a public relations executive who works with minority businesses in Rainier Valley, praised Advisory Committee member Craig Dawson for voting no on the minimum wage increase, saying, “Craig understands small businesses” and the hardship they will face with this increase. It takes a lot of courage to do so, added Boyer. Bob Park, a developer, said the increase will create challenges for younger people who want their first job. “If they want a job, they have to go to Bellevue to do so,” Park said. “We hear so much about social justice,” said Dollar Rent-ACar franchise owner Doris Cassan. “What is the justice when government is so intrusive into your business it creates such a burden you or your employees cannot be successful?”
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE {YU cont’d from page 1} Yu will be the sixth woman on the current nine-member court and the second ethnic minority. The daughter of immigrants — her mother is from Mexico and her father is from China — she’s also the first female Hispanic member of the court, and the third of Hispanic descent in court history. Justice Steven Gonzalez was appointed to the court in late 2011. “The appointment of a Supreme Court justice is a responsibility I take very, very seriously,” Inslee said at a news conference. “Judge Yu has distinguished herself throughout her career.” Yu was appointed to the King County Superior Court by former Gov. Gary Locke, and previous to that, she served as deputy chief of staff to the late King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng. She’s the first Supreme Court justice appointed by Inslee, who took office in Jan. 2013. To keep the seat, she will have to run for election in November to serve the rest of Johnson’s term, which was set to expire in January 2017. Inslee said that Yu was “someone of great intellect, dedication, compassion, with a never-wavering commitment to ensure justice for everyone.” As a superior court judge, when the state’s first gay marriages started taking place around the state on Dec. 9, 2012, she officiated over the first King County marriage just after midnight. In 2011, she, along with Gonzalez, received the Outstanding Judge of the Year award from the Washington state Bar Association for their work on researching racial disparity in the state’s criminal justice system. “I believe it’s clear to everyone that judge Yu has both the qualifications and the life experience to sit on our state’s highest court,” Inslee said. “And her personal story adds a unique perspective that is important as our state’s demographics continue to shift.” Yu will be taking the seat of the justice who was considered the most conservative member of the court. Johnson often wrote in favor of individual property rights, police tactics and the state’s Public Records Act. He was also not afraid to stand alone in dissent. He recently cast the only vote against having the court retain oversight of education spending in Washington, saying the court was overstepping its bounds, and the only vote against allowing the governor’s office to claim “executive privilege”
{BLOG cont’d from page 10} was talking about, so I told him. “I don’t care about the $15 (raise),” he said. “That’s not how we make money. We make more off tips than that.” My assumption was wrong. I thought these folks would be jumping up and down for joy. It was unfortunate that city officials assume that they know best and what is good for all the workers. Some business friends plan to move out of Seattle to escape the $15 wage, to Renton and other cities. But I have invested my business in this city for a long time. Many of my people live in the city. I couldn't just abandon them. The
in withholding documents from public view. Johnson, 68, was first elected to the court in 2004 and re-elected in 2010. He decided to not serve out the rest of his term after missing oral arguments because of illness. He told the News Tribune of Tacoma that in addition to needing to have a hip replacement redone, he was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare, but nonfatal, blood disease that causes bone marrow to overproduce cells, especially red blood cells, and that causes headaches and fatigue. After the ceremony, Johnson told the Northwest News Network that while he personally likes Yu, he was concerned that “this court still is not balanced, does not represent all the people of the state, and I’m not sure this is a positive step.” her earlier remarks, In Yu addressed the potential consternation some may have with the fact that she’s from the predominantly liberal city of Seattle. “While I am from King County, I want each of you to know I am truly and earnestly committed to serving all the people of Washington,” she said. Yu earned her bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Rosary College and a master’s of theology from Mundelein College of Loyola University. She got her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Before coming to Washington state, she worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago, first as an associate and later as the director for the office for the ministry of peace and justice. “I am so glad that Governor Inslee appointed Judge Yu to the open position at the Washington State Supreme Court,” said Debadutta Dash, co-chair of the Washington State India Trade Relations Action Committee. “It is not only a great recognition to our API community but a befitting tribute to a committed and dedicated women who have been consistently a source of inspiration to the youth in all minority communities including young law professionals in our State. “Justice Yu has been an inspiration and role model to young and old in our community,” said Joan Yoshitomi, former chief of staff to Gary Locke. “She brings integrity, honestly, and compassion to a position many dream of and few achieve. She understands that the law alone is incomplete without the understanding of how it affects individual lives.”
truth is, I love Seattle so much, it would be heartbreaking for me to move out. Meanwhile, I also see the silver lining for this issue. Many Chinatown/International District businesses have relied on "cheapness" to lure customers. In the future, they can no longer do that as a strategy. They will have to raise their prices and rethink their market niche. They will have to make improvements such as remodeling, having cleaner restrooms, installing sound-proof ceilings in noisy restaurants, and learning how to chat with customers to give them a warm feeling. Folks who want to dine at inexpensive restaurants will have to eat outside the city.
{SIFF cont’d from page 9} Varma, a charismatic young fellow from the Indian city of Hyderabad, marks this as his third feature film. Most of the other cast members
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2014
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are also younger actors starting out in India’s voluminous film industry: Srijeeta De as Geeta, Jayant Gadekar as Patil, Tannishtha Chatterjee as Rani, and Geetanjali Thapa as Anu.
“A Time in Quchi,” playing May 18, 19, and 20, is from Taiwanese film director Tso-Chi Chang. Unlike Kumar, Chang has made several films in his home country, although this may be the first look that Seattle audiences get at his work. The central character, a boy named Bao, finds himself in unfamiliar territory when he’s sent to live with his grandfather for the summer. Bao finds his new surroundings nearly intolerable.
He’s stymied by the lack of cable TV, but unlike earlier generations of boys in his predicament, he finds solace in a computer tablet. But non-electronic life proves much harder. He’s never sure whether the country kids are his friends or are just using him as laughing stock. And while he isn’t completely aware of it at first, his parents are negotiating a divorce. The cast includes Liang-Yu Yang, Yun Loong Kuan, and Ya-Ruo Lin.
Unlike the other two directors, Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-Liang, whose new feature “Stray Dogs” plays May 21 and 25, has both a long list of films to his credit and a substantial following, amongst critics and cineastes, in the United States. Several of his earlier films, including “I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone” and the mind-blowing “Goodbye Dragon Inn,” came to Seattle courtesy of SIFF. Ming-Liang’s films will almost certainly never be popular with the general audience. They move very, very, very slowly, and long sections can pass without dialogue. In “Goodbye Dragon Inn,” my pick for one of the finest films in the last 15 years, a woman
simply sits, frozen, for what seems like an eternity. But the director draws you in and makes you move to his rhythms. When the woman finally decides to take action, the release of tension is superior to and more devastating than most onscreen gunshots or CGI explosions. “Stray Dogs” is about an alcoholic father and the addiction that destroys him and his family. It is about pain, suffering, coping, and, ultimately, strength. So much of Ming-Liang’s work is about comparing and contrasting strength and weakness in startling, poetic juxtapositions. Finally, “Awake: The Life Of Yogananda,” playing May 18 and 19, chronicles the arrival to the West of the man credited with spreading yoga from the East. Directed by Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman, this documentary tells the fascinating story of Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), a native of India who came to America in 1920 and formed the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) to spread yoga and meditation practices. The SRF still exists and it bankrolled the film, so it’s hard to tell how impartial the final results will be. But “Awake” combines archival footage of its subject with the words and experiences of followers through the decades.
For more SIFF details, show times, and venues, visit http://www.siff.net/festival-2014. Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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