PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 33 NO 23
MAY 31 – JUNE 6, 2014
FREE
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
PICTORIAL CAPAA’s 40th anniversary celebration » P. 9
Seattle Mariners’ unlikely palace coup The best pitcher in Seattle doesn’t wear a crown. He doesn’t have a regal nickname or inspire a loyal horde to wear yellow T-shirts and shake “K” cards whenever he’s on the mound. In fact, there’s little about Hisashi Iwakuma to indicate Major League star quality, except the box score. The numbers, in this case, do not lie. Since becoming a part of the Seattle Mariners starting rotation in July 2012, Iwakuma has fashioned a sparkling 2.58 ERA en route to a 25-10 record. Both marks lead Seattle’s pitching staff — in fact, are among the best in the entire American League over that span — and catapult the unassuming Japanese right-hander past a much more celebrated teammate in those telling categories. Felix Hernandez has been the gold standard for starting pitching in Seattle ever since Randy Johnson left town. More than that, he has the intimidating duality of pedigree and panache. Anointed baseball royalty by his legion of fans, King Felix has the 2010 American League Cy Young Award and four AllStar selections to substantiate the adoration. As for presence, he has the hard, heavy arsenal
After U.S. war, Vietnamese were stranded 16 years
of an elite power pitcher and the physicality to match. At 6’3” and 230 pounds, he’s big and broad shouldered. He wears his cap askew, just to make sure the impression lasts. Even so, ever since July of nearly two seasons past — when Iwakuma made the Mariners’ rotation almost by default — King Felix has been the secondbest pitcher in a town he’s owned for years. Consider the numbers, particularly earned run average and wins. Hernandez is 24-15 with a 3.05 ERA since Iwakuma joined the Mariners’ starting rotation — very good if not stellar numbers. It’s just that Iwakuma has been better. Given Iwakuma’s inauspicious beginning with the team, his success in the big leagues is all the more remarkable. Signed to a one-year contract for $1.5 million prior to the 2012 season — a low-risk afterthought if ever there was one — he arrived in Seattle with so many more questions about his place in American baseball than answers. He’d been a star in Japan for over a decade, but suffered a series of injuries during that time as well. Foreign pitchers with repaired arms and uncertain, distant legacies rarely inspire much confidence {see IWAKUMA cont’d on page 15}
Photo by LiAnna Davis
By Rob Nishihara Northwest Asian Weekly
Hisashi Iwakuma
Art of origami on display
{see NGUYEN cont’d on page 15}
{see ORIGAMI cont’d on page 15}
Photo by Stacy Nguyen/NWAW
“Immigration is such a huge topic, and it leads to so many different political and geographical and ecological arenas,” Duc Nguyen said at a screening of his documentary “Stateless” in Seattle last week. “Immigration is really hard to pinpoint, to understand. What we’re doing with the film through community screenings like this is to explore more
Elegantly folded animals, pentagonal prisms, and architectural creations line the halls at “Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami,” the latest exhibition to debut at the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) in Bellevue. The show explores the history and evolution of paper folding and features 140 creations from 45 master folders from around the world, including Japan, the U.S., and Russia. Designed to be an immersive exploration, the show includes videos, photographs, and books, as well as interactive opportunities to fold paper. Origami, or Japanese paper folding, began centuries ago in Japan, most likely through religious ceremonies and rituals. It also served as a recreational activity for court nobility. Meanwhile, a form similar to origami began in Europe. The two forms merged in the 19th century when the Japanese adopted the German kindergarten schooling system founded by Friedrich Fröbel, a German paper folder. Paper folding eventually spread to the general population. Though people commonly associate origami as a children’s arts and crafts pastime, the exhibition
Duc Nguyen at a screening of his documentary, “Stateless,” at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Theater in Seattle on May 23.
By Stacy Nguyen Northwest Asian Weekly
Photo by Vivian Nguyen/NWAW
By Vivian Nguyen Northwest Asian Weekly
Crane Garland by Miri Golan
The Inside Story NAMES Awards, appointments, and more » P. 2
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COMMUNITY A memorable Memorial Day in the ID » P. 3
MOVIES SIFF: Mystery and intrigue » P. 7
ARTS Poetry across the generations » P. 8
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