VOL 34 NO 24 | JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

VOL 34 NO 24

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

FREE

HED Text » P. #

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Casting a spell ESPN makes the National Spelling Bee a high-stakes sport

JACL statement on Emilie Grace Olsen’s suicide

caption

Photo by

By Japanese American Citizens League

caption

By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly “Nunatak.”

Any guess as to what the word means? More importantly, how do you spell it? For 14-year-old

Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield, Missouri it meant either sharing the glory of being the champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee with 13-year -old Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas {see SPELLING BEE cont’d on page 15}

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is deeply troubled by the circumstances and investigation surrounding the tragic death of Emilie Grace Olsen, a Chinese American student at Fairfield Middle School in Fairfield Township, Ohio.

In a letter to parents in December 2014, Fairfield superintendent, Paul Otten, stated that bullying was not a factor in Emilie’s death.

Since then, administrators for the Fairfield City Schools have failed to provide investigative information about the tragedy; instead, they have railed against so-called rumors and misinformation, particularly

in the aftermath of a May 13, 2015 investigative report by WCPO Television, which disclosed that emails, school reports, and a social media account did indicate that Emilie was bullied.

According to the television report, Emilie’s father repeatedly contacted the school to complain about his daughter’s plight and even requested changes to her schedule to avoid being in classes with certain students, which the school accommodated. However, it appears that the bullying persisted and Emilie took her own life on December 11, 2014. The Fairfield City Schools have an obligation {see OLSEN cont’d on page 12}

A little bit of Seattle helps build a school library in Philippines

By Lara Underhill Northwest Asian Weekly

After a 2010 trip to the Philippines to reconnect with her family roots, Kimrick Soltanzadeh knew she wanted to do more for the rural community where her family was from.

“I hadn’t been to the Philippines for about 10 years before that trip and during that time I became very involved with the local community in Bainbridge and realized the value of volunteering and giving back. I

caption

knew I wanted to do something for the community where my family is from,” Kimrick said.

Soltanzadeh has been awarded a Volunteer Leave Award from Wells Fargo, and will receive her full pay while volunteering at The Herminio Maravilla Elementary School in the Philippines.

While that is amazing in itself, the project that got her the award will really warm your {see EDUCATION cont’d on page 12}

The Inside Story NAMES People in the news » P. 2

■

COMMUNITY A salute to a hero » P. 3

LAYUP DRILL Seasons change, and so do sports! » P. 7

TRAVEL Rest & search in Vietnam » P. 9

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • info@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly northwest

2

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

■ names in the news Toyota scholarships

said Anthony Bonanzino, Chairman of the Board of INB. “He brings a wealth of experience to the job, having previously served as President of two other community banks on the west side of our state. The Board was particularly impressed with Mr. Lee’s vision for INB’s future.” 

Russell A. Lee

Dominguiano is Miss Washington’s Outstanding Teen

caption

In partnership with the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing college scholarships to APIAs, Toyota granted 22 scholarships at its fourth annual awards dinner and reception at the Toyota Automotive Museum on May 14, 2015.

With majors ranging from aerospace engineering to microbiology, and school selections from the University of California, Irvine to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, scholarship recipients received $5,000 towards a degree in a STEM field for their first two years of college. The students from Vietnam, China, the Philippines, India, and Korea, were also recognized for their achievements by local Los Angeles government officials in attendance. 

Abigail Dominguiano was crowned Miss Washington’s Outstanding Teen May 24. She recently turned 15 in May, and is of Filipino descent, and resides in Silverdale. She Abigail Dominguiano along with 25 others competed the weekend of the 24th. She is the first title holder to be of Asian descent. 

Kroupoderova awarded NWAW scholarship

Lee named President and CEO of INB Inland Northwest Bank (INB) the wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Bancorporation, Inc. announced May 27 the hiring of Russell A. Lee as its new President and CEO, effective June 29, 2015.

“After an extensive search that included strong internal and external candidates, the Board of Directors is delighted to have found someone of Mr. Lee’s caliber to be Randy’s successor,”

Daria Kroupoderova

Daria Kroupoderova, a University of Washington journalism and communications major, (and a former intern for the Northwest Asian Weekly) was awarded the 2015 Northwest Asian Weekly scholarship (in the amount of $1000) by the UW School of Communications May 21. Kroupoderova plans to pursue writing on minority and immigrant affairs. 

Brogan awarded WTS Woman of the Year Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International selected Rita Brogan of Seattle, to receive its highest award, Woman of the Year.

Brogan received the award at WTS International’s annual conference in Chicago May 22.

The award decision is based Rita Brogan on the following criteria: A woman who is a leader in transportation and has made an outstanding contribution to the transportation industry.

A woman who has directly contributed toward the advancement of women and minorities through programs or opportunities in the transportation field.

A woman who through her career achievements and support of women in the industry, has advanced the reputation and credibility of women in transportation. 

Ku will be coordinating arts events Jenny Ku is the newest member of the Community Development and Outreach team at the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.

As the event coordinator, she will coordinate events such as summer concerts, public art dedications, and the Mayor’s Jenny Ku Arts Awards.

Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, she moved to Seattle in June of 2002. Prior to joining the Community Development and Outreach team, Jenny served as the Director of Arts and Culture and Programming Coordinator for BurlyCon. She is also the cabaret curator and coordinator for The Wing Luke Asian Museum and artistic director for numerous theatrical productions. Additionally, Jenny is a practicing visual and performance artist. 

Trash to Treasures

Design an outfit, win $250 and more

Northwest Asian Weekly is inviting you to design an outfit that incorporates recycling materials or NWAW/ Seattle Chinese Post newspapers in the design.

Deadline: June 29, 2015

All contestants will be invited to the Northwest Asian Weekly’s recycling contest show on July 11 at the Chinatown/International District Dragon Fest at 1:30 p.m. If you are a finalist, please wear your design or find a model to wear your design. Arrive at the Asian Weekly’s office at 412 Maynard Avenue South to check in, from 11 a.m. to noon. Models will line up at 1:20 p.m. and parade to the stage (approximately one block). Judging will begin during the line-up. Contest results will be announced immediately after the competition.

Who can participate: 1. Everyone, and there is no age limit!

2. You must design a wearable garment with recycling materials or Asian Weekly/Chinese Post newspapers (or both).

Prizes for winners:

$250+goodies+plaque+photos in the Asian Weekly/Chinese Post, print and online  2nd Prize- $150+goodies+plaque+photos in the Asian Weekly/Chinese Post, print and online  3rd Prize- $100+goodies+plaque+photos in the Asian Weekly/Chinese Post, print and online  1st Prize-

Please fill out all the fields below:

Name: ________________________________________________________

There will also be prizes for honorable mentions. They will receive plaques and their photo will be printed in the Asian Weekly and Chinese Post, and online.

Address: _______________________________________________________

If you need newsprint for your design, please come to the Asian Weekly’s office, at 412 Maynard Avenue South, to pick up back issues.

Phone: ________________________________________________________

GOLD SPONSOR

E-mail: ________________________________________________________

SILVER SPONSOR

PEARL SPONSOR

Brief description of your design: _____________________________________

COMMUNITY SPONSORS PLANNING COMMITTEE

CHINA HARBOR RESTAURANT GLOBAL TRAVEL

Gary Tang, Gei Chan, Belinda Louie, Karen Tsuo, John Liu, Buwon Brown and Ellen Abellera

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Designed by Gary Tang

To enter: Design a wearable garment or accessory incorporating recycling materials or NWAW/Seattle Chinese Post newspapers in some aspect of the visual appearance. We welcome any wearable garment or accessory of choice like shirts, pants, jackets, jewelry, skirts, vests, ties, shoes, hats, purses, and more. Let your creativity run wild!

Please submit a photograph or photographs of the design to rsvp@nwasianweekly.com by June 29.You are welcome to submit more than one design.

Please also include a brief description of your design and the inspiration for your design (optional). Your entry must include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. You can also mail a photograph or photographs to 412 Maynard South, Seattle, 98104. All entries are the property of the Northwest Asian Weekly and will not be returned. Finalists’ photos will be announced on the Asian Weekly’s July 9 issue.

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

■ SPORTS

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

Hideki hits Contender at the U.S. Open

By Lisa Marien Northwest Asian Weekly Hideki Matsuyama, only 23 years old, is one of Japan’s fastest rising golf stars and he will be participating in the U.S. Open in Chambers Bay this month.

Matsuyama was born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan on February 25, 1992. He has studied since 2010, at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. An adamant golf student, he believes in his education first and foremost.

He travels with translator Bob Turner, caddie Daisuke Shindo, and trainer Mitsuteru Iida.

Hideki over the last few years has become a popular household name in many Japanese homes. He first received attention when he won the 2010 Asia Pacific Amateur and earned a spot in the Masters at the age of 18.

In 2011, Hideki won the gold medal at the 2011 World University Games. He also led the Japan team to the gold medal in the team event.

2011 proved to be a difficult year for Hideki when his school in Sendai was struck by a devastating earthquake and a following tsunami. At the time he decided to continue in the Augusta, GA tournament. The Japanese city he grew up in, Ehime, 500 miles away, was not affected the same as other cities.

Hideki decided to continue to compete in Augusta, GA at the Masters. Hideki joined his friends, family, and professional peers in volunteering in Sendai after the Masters.

Though Tiger Woods continues to be an inspiration, Hideki is a self-taught competitor;

Hideki Matsuyama

he uses videos of himself to strengthen his swing.

“I’ve always liked to find out things for myself and to have that freedom to search out and try different things and see what works best for me, rather than have someone tell me what is best for me. So far, not having a fulltime coach has been an interesting journey. It’s been good for me. But I’m sure in the future, there will be a time when I need a coach and I look forward to talking to different coaches and finding one who sees the game and my swing the same way I do.”

“Golf has been fun for me from the first time I picked up a club, and it remains so today

and hopefully it will remain fun and enjoyable for the rest of my life” says Matsuyama in an interview with pgatour.com.

Aside from golf, his other love is fishing.

He caught his first 12-pound Hamachi when he was 10. He also likes following Japanese baseball players.

With all of Hideki’s energy, youth, and exuberance, we can expect to see a very exciting tournament at Chambers Bay.  Lisa Marien can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.

■ briefly

3

No more smoking in city parks

The Seattle Board of Park Commissioners has endorsed Mayor Ed Murray’s proposal to ban smoking in city parks.

The change was adopted May 21 and will simplify the no-smoking rule, which has been in place at beaches and playgrounds and within 25 feet of other people since 2010.

Murray says the outright ban will be easier to enforce and will further discourage smoking by making it less available in public spaces.

The Seattle King County NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State, and other organizations criticized the ban, saying it would be unfair and possibly criminalize people who spend time in parks because they have no homes.

Violating the ban may result in a verbal reminder from a park ranger, while consistent misconduct could lead to a trespassing arrest. 

asianweekly northwest

4

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

■ world news

McCain: US should allow sale of defensive weapons

By Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press

SINGAPORE (AP) — America needs to provide Vietnam with more defensive weapons, U.S. Sen. John McCain said Saturday as tensions in the Asia Pacific region heightened over China’s expanding land reclamation projects in the South China Sea. But U.S. efforts so far are focused on delivering some of the limited maritime weapons allowed under last fall’s easing of the weapons sales ban on Hanoi.

According to a senior U.S. official, Defense Secretary Ash Carter will meet with Vietnam officials in the coming days to discuss the U.S providing the defensive maritime

weapons already allowed. Carter spoke at an international security conference in Singapore May 30 at the start of an 11-day Asia trip.

McCain, who also was attending the International Institute for Strategic Studies summit, wants to see a gradual removal of the U.S. ban, and said the U.S. should provide additional defensive weapons that could be used in case of a conflict with China. He added that the U.S. should continue its ban on weapons used for crowd control or to commit human rights abuses.

The U.S. last October partially lifted its ban on weapons sales to Vietnam to boost the country’s ability to defend itself in the South China Sea. Only the sale of lethal maritime security and surveillance capabilities are allowed

on a case-by-case basis, including boats and air assets based on an evaluation of Vietnam’s needs. But the U.S. official said that to date no weapons have flowed to Vietnam.

The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. officials said last fall that easing the ban recognized improvements by Vietnam’s authoritarian government on human rights. But it also was largely driven by America’s national security interests.

Since then, tensions in the South China Sea have only escalated, as China has greatly expanded land reclamation projects to build islands on existing reefs and atolls. On {see SINGAPORE cont’d on page 14}

North Korean Pentagon chief criticizes ex-POWs hope Beijing’s South China Sea moves to return home before they die

By Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Pennington Associated Press

By Hyung-Jin Kim Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After the Korean War ended in 1953, Kim Myeong Bok and 75 other North Korean prisoners of war detained in South Korea opted to live abroad rather than risk hostile welcomes in either half of their homeland. Now he wants to come home, though he may find little more than rejection and suspicion.

Amid the Koreas’ intense Cold War rivalry, they were labeled traitors, opportunists or fence-sitters. The fates of several North Korean POWs who voluntarily returned home are unknown. Many others have died abroad one by one, and now less than a dozen are believed to be alive.

Kim, now 79 and living in Brazil, is trying to return to his North Korean hometown, at the arrangement of a movie director who’s making a documentary on him and his fellow ex-POWs. He doesn’t have North Korea’s approval yet and may never get it, though he will at least visit the South. He knows this is probably his last chance to try to go home.

“I’ve missed my parents a lot, particularly my mother, who took me to a church and told me to believe in Jesus Christ,” Kim said, speaking from the remote Brazilian city of Cuiaba during a recent video interview. “I want to go to the place where my church stood, but it must have been pulled down by now.”

Kim lowered his head and wiped away tears when he said his mother often came to his mind whenever he faced difficulties in life. “Forgive me,” he said, weeping.

Kim and most of the other POWs who left the Korean Peninsula settled in South America. None could have expected that their homeland would remain so bitterly divided for so long. With an armistice signed but not a peace treaty, the peninsula remains technically at war, with combat troops still facing each other along Earth’s most heavily fortified border.

The POWs left for many reasons: to avoid the North’s harsh systems, to enjoy religious freedom, to build up professional careers. Many feared execution in the North for having been held captive in the South.

Many believed their family members must have died during the chaos of the three-year war, which killed millions. They chose not to stay on in the South because they worried about living with the label of ex-North Korean soldiers in a country where they had no relatives {see SOUTH KOREA cont’d on page 13}

SINGAPORE (AP) — China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea is out of step with international rules, and turning underwater land into airfields won’t expand its sovereignty, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told an international security conference Saturday, stepping up America’s condemnation of the communist giant as Beijing officials sat in the audience.

Carter told the room full of Asia-Pacific leaders and experts that the U.S. opposes “any further militarization” of the disputed lands.

His remarks were immediately slammed as “groundless and not constructive” by a Chinese military officer in the audience.

Carter’s comments came as defense officials revealed that China had put two large artillery vehicles on one of the artificial islands it is creating in the South China Sea. The discovery, made at least several weeks ago, fuels fears in the U.S and across the Asia-Pacific that China will try to use the land reclamation projects for military purposes.

The weaponry was discovered at least several weeks ago, and two U.S. officials who are familiar with intelligence about the vehicles say they have been removed. The officials weren’t authorized to discuss the intelligence and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon would not release any photos to support its contention that the vehicles were there.

China’s assertive behavior in the South China Sea has become an increasingly sore point in relations with the United States, even as President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping have sought to deepen cooperation in other areas, such as climate change.

Pentagon spokesman Brent Colburn said the U.S. was aware of the artillery, but he declined to provide other details. Defense officials described the weapons as selfpropelled artillery vehicles and said they posed no threat to the U.S. or American territories.

While Carter did not refer directly to the weapons in his speech, he told the audience that now is the time for a diplomatic solution to the territorial disputes because “we all know there is no military solution.”

“Turning an underwater rock into an airfield simply does not afford the rights of sovereignty or permit restrictions on international air or maritime transit,” Carter told the audience at the International Institute for Strategic Studies summit.

China’s actions have been “reasonable and justified,” said Senior Col. Zhao Xiaozhuo, deputy director of the Center on China-America Defense Relations at the People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Science. {see SINGAPORE cont’d on page 12}

Holiday in socialist fairyland?

North Korea woos tourists

By Eric Talmadge Associated Press

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — If you’re still looking for somewhere exotic to go this summer and don’t mind a vacation that comes with a heavy dose of socialist propaganda and leader worship, North Korea says it’s just the place for you.

Fresh off a drastic, half-year ban that closed North Korea’s doors to virtually all foreigners over fears they would spread the Ebola virus — despite the fact that there were no cases of Ebola reported anywhere in Asia — the country is once again determined to show off its “socialist fairyland” to tourists.

The focus on tourism is the blessing of Kim Jong Un himself and, in typical fashion, officials have set lofty goals in their effort to please their leader.

About 100,000 tourists came to North Korea last year, all

but a few thousand of them from neighboring China.

Kim Sang Hak, a senior economist at the influential Academy of Social Sciences, told The Associated Press the North hopes that by around 2017, there will be 10 times as many tourists and that the number will hit 2 million by 2020.

Pyongyang’s interest in attracting tourists may sound ironic, or even contradictory, for a country that has taken extreme measures to remain sheltered from the outside world.

But Kim said the push, formally endorsed by Kim Jong Un in March 2013, is seen as both a potentially lucrative revenue stream and a means of countering stereotypes of the country as starving, backward and relentlessly bleak.

“Tourism can produce a lot of profit relative to the investment required, so that’s why our country is putting priority on it,” he said in a recent interview in Pyongyang, adding that along {see NORTH KOREA cont’d on page 12}

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

■ national news

5

Karen students act out their lives’ journeys

By Maja Beckstrom St. Paul Pioneer Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — When it was time to choose roles in the play, Mu Pa chose the part of a Burmese soldier.

“I know how to do it,” said the young Karen woman, who was a toddler when Burmese soldiers burned her village and killed her father.

Now a 19-year-old freshman at Como High School in St. Paul, Mu Pa is part of an after-school program called Jungle to Jungle organized by the Karen Organization of Minnesota and theater company Dangerous Productions.

Through improvised scenes and James Bond-style stunts called parkour, she and other Karen teens tell the story of their flight from Myanmar, life in refugee camps and bewildering arrival in Minnesota. Como students performed last month and students at Harding High School performed Thursday.

“I haven’t had a performance where at least five people come up and say I didn’t even know these people were here,” said Tyler Olsen, of St. Paul, the Dangerous Productions director who has organized several theater projects with Karen teens. “Public exposure to these stories is really important. I am floored by the experiences of these young people. Their

resilience is mind blowing.”

The Karen, pronounced “ka-REN,” are an ethnic minority from Myanmar, a military state that the Karen still call Burma. Since 2005, in one of the world’s largest resettlement programs, tens of thousands of Karen have arrived in the United States from refugee camps along the Thai border, where some had lived in limbo for decades after fleeing ethnic attacks in their homeland.

More than 6,500 arrived in Minnesota, where St. Paul now has the largest and fastestgrowing Karen population in the country.

Olsen ran an after-school theater program for Karen last year at LEAP High School, a St. Paul public school that enrolls recent immigrants. About 5 percent of students in St. Paul Public Schools are Karen and about 1,000 Karen are enrolled in the city’s high schools, with the majority at Washington Technology and Humboldt, followed by Como and Harding.

This year, Olsen helped the Karen Organization of Minnesota land a $25,000 State Arts Board grant to bring the unique blend of parkour and theater to Harding and Como, the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit. ly/1PNb3sM ) reported.

At first Mu Pa was terrified to leap over the wood obstacles in the parkour course, let alone speak in front of an audience.

“I am here 10 months,” she said. “I don’t know how to speak English. I don’t know anything. I’m shy. I think I can’t do that! We can’t do that!”

Some of Mu Pa’s life experience found its

way into the show. When she was 2, soldiers with Myanmar’s military government attacked her jungle village.

“They shoot my father,” she said. “I don’t know why. They had power. They had guns.”

Mu Pa was sent to live with a grandmother because there wasn’t enough food; when she was 8, she went alone to attend school and live at a refugee camp in Thailand. Just before she applied for refugee resettlement, Mu Pa made the dangerous walk back across the border to Myanmar to seek her mother’s permission to come to the United States.

“My mother said, `No, you are a girl,’ “ recalled Mu Pa. “`It’s dangerous. You don’t know nobody. They are not Karen.’ But I tell her, I want to help her. I want a job. I want to make money.”

Mu Pa arrived in St. Paul as an unaccompanied minor and lives with a Karen family. She wants to continue her education but feels pressure to find a job, perhaps as a nursing assistant in a senior care facility, so she can earn money to pay for her younger siblings’ schooling in Myanmar.

Before Jungle to Jungle, Mu Pa had not spoken to anyone about her past, she said.

The experience boosted her English and her confidence, said Jane Sevald, an English as a Learned Language teacher at Como.

The evening performance last month in the Como gymnasium featured students in more traditional acted scenes interspersed with parkour flips and vaults.

“It was very gutsy for the kids to speak up,” Sevald said. “And it was wonderful for them, because they got to celebrate who they are.”

In serial fashion, the performance Thursday at Harding will pick up where the Como show left off, with the arrival in Minnesota. On a recent afternoon, 16 Karen students formed a circle in the grass behind the bleachers at Harding. A few girls had hoodies up against a brisk spring breeze. {see THE KAREN cont’d on page 12}

Assunta Ng

Account Executives

Peggy Chapman

rebecca@nwasianweekly.com

Han Bui

kelly@nwasianweekly.com

Publisher assunta@nwasianweekly.com Editor editor@nwasianweekly.com Layout Editor/Webmaster han@nwasianweekly.com

Rebecca Ip Kelly Liao John Liu

john@nwasianweekly.com

Stacy Nguyen Editorial Consultant

The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article.

Subscriptions cost $30 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $25 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 info@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly northwest

6

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

■ COMMUNITY news

Student scholars honored at 45th annual EOP celebration Supporting minority students

Several outstanding student scholarship recipients were recognized at the 45th annual Odegaard Award Celebration held May 7, at UW’s Husky Union Building.

The dinner and scholarship fundraiser was hosted by the UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). Due to the support of sponsors, donors, and friends, almost $300,000 was raised to benefit scholarships for underrepresented minority, low-income and first-generation students.

Several of these students were celebrated for their contributions on campus and in the community, while achieving academic excellence. Top honors went to President’s Achievement Award winner Savannah Romero and Wells Fargo Vice President’s Award winner Max McDonald.

Also acknowledged as recognition scholars were Ashley Alday (Educational Opportunity Program Celebration Scholar), Diana Betancourt (Lydia A. Gonzales Scholar), Jocelyn Castillo (Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program Legacy Scholar), Natalie Guterson (Del Rio Global Citizens Scholar), Jimmy Nguyen (Murray, Pitre, Baker, Rosebaugh Scholar), Alecia Pak (Educational Opportunity Program Celebration Scholar), DeeAnna Personius (Robert T. and Nancy J. Knight Scholar), Keyaria Rhodes (Bank of America Scholar), Randy Salgado (Educational Opportunity Program Celebration Scholar), Chad Shapard (Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program Legacy Scholar), Danny Shelton (UW Athletic Scholar), Ashley Smith (School of Medicine Scholar), Sarra Tekola (William P. and Ruth Gerberding/Early Identification Program Scholar), Shanece Washington (Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program Scholar) and Nicole Yamane (QFC Scholar). 

Ashley Alday

Alecia Pak

Educational Opportunity Program Celebration Scholar Major: Social Welfare After graduation, Ashley intends to gain experience that will assist in her pursuit of a master’s degree. Her goal is to become a social worker in the public education system and work with at-risk high school students.

Jimmy Nguyen

school.

Murray, Pitre, Baker, Rosebaugh Scholar Major: Psychology Jimmy has dreamed of going into medicine since he was a child. After graduation, he intends to work as an emergency medical technician to gain experience and funds for medical

Educational Opportunity Program Celebration Scholar Majors: Pre-Nursing & Public Health After graduation, Alecia plans to become a registered nurse and eventually go on to work as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

University of Washington Athletic Scholar Major: Anthropology Danny was selected 12th in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. In addition to his football career, Danny’s future plans include pursuing graduate school and establishing a youth club in his community focused on elite standards in education and sports.

Nicole Yamane

QFC Scholar Major: Political Science After graduation, Nicole plans to attend law school and go on to serve underrepresented minority populations by ensuring they have equal legal, civil and political rights.

■ briefly

■ COMMUNITY calendar THU 6/4

SAT 6/6 & SUN 6/7

WHAT: Han in the Upper Left: a brief history of Korean Americans in the Pacific Northwest WHERE: Wing Luke, 719 S. King St., Seattle WHEN: 6-8 p.m.

RSVP: rsvp@kahs.org

WHAT: Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival celebrates Mindanao: Island of Varied Hues WHERE: Seattle Center WHEN: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

INFO: seattlecenter.com, 206684-7200

WHAT: George Tsutakawa Fountain Rededication Celebration WHERE: Seattle Central College – Atrium, 1701 Broadway, Seattle WHEN: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

INFO: 206-934-4085

MON 6/8

FRI 6/5 WHAT: Northwest Immigrant Rights Project’s Annual Gala, “Our Families, Our Future” WHERE: The Westin Hotel, 1900 5th Ave., Seattle WHEN: 6-9:30 p.m.

WHAT: Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce luncheon with Dennis Lam WHERE: XO Restaurant, 530 112th Ave. N.E., Bellevue WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

COST: $20 INFO: seattlechinesechamber. org

WHAT: Community Reception to Unveil the new Nikkei Newspaper Digital Archive WHERE: Nagomi Tea House, 519 Sixth Ave. S., Seattle WHEN: 6:30-8 p.m.

INFO: elaine@hokubeihochi. org, 206-519-5461

TUE 6/9 WHAT: How to make Rock Plant Kimchi with Instructor Jung Hee Park WHERE: APCC, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma WHEN: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

REGISTER: 253-383-3900 WHAT: Meet and greet WAPI’s new executive director Aileen de Leon WHERE: Eastern Café, 510 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle WHEN: 4-6 p.m.

Danny Shelton

FRI 6/12 THRU SAT 6/27 WHAT: Seattle International Dance Festival WHERE: South Lake Union COST: $17-$55 INFO: seattleidf.org

SAT 6/20 THRU THU 9/13 WHAT: Pop Art that Packs a Punch: Artist Roger Shimomura Sheds Light on Stereotypes WHERE: Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma WHEN: Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

COST: $12-$35 INFO: 253-272-4258, tacomaartmuseum.org

THU 6/25 WHAT: Asian American & Pacific Islander Community Roundtable WHERE: APCC, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma WHEN: 6-7 p.m.

COST: Free

SAT 6/27 WHAT: 2015 Beacon Art

Walkabout WHERE: Beacon Hill, Seattle WHEN: 1-8 p.m.

INFO: 206-323-7733

FRI 7/3 WHAT: Public Talk: “Living a meaningful life” WHERE: Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave., Seattle WHEN: 7-8:30 p.m.

COST: $20

FRI 7/10 & SAT 7/11 WHAT: “Asian Collection” Premier Auction WHERE: Pacific Galleries WHEN: 7/10 at 12-5 p.m., 4/11 at 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

BID ONLINE: www.invaluable. com INFO: www.pacgal.com

FRI 7/10 THRU SUN 7/12 WHAT: DAIPANbutoh Collective presents the 6th annual Seattle Butoh Festival WHERE: Taoist Studies Institute, 225 N. 70th St., Seattle WHEN: 7/10 at 6-9 p.m., 7/11 at 12-6 p.m., 7/12 at 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

INFO: brownpapertickets.com/

Sawant rally

On Saturday June 6, controversial Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant will be holding a rally for her re-election at Seattle’s historic Town Hall featuring a lineup of speakers including Pulitzer prize-winning author Chris Hedges, 2012 Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein, WA State Senator Pramila Jayapal, SEIU 775 President David Rolf, NAACP leader Sheley Secrest, and anti-racism community organizer Dustin Washington. The event will mark the beginning of the 60-day run-up to the August 4 primary election, in which Sawant is seeking to return to the City Council as a representative of the newly created 3rd District.

When: Saturday June 6, 6:30 PM, doors open at 5:30 PM Where: Seattle Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 Cost: $15, tickets available at the door or on-line from Brown Paper Tickets, http://kshamasawant. brownpapertickets.com (No one will be turned away for lack of funds.)

Live music and a party will follow the rally. 

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

■ food

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

7

Having fun with tofu Part two of three of the “Soy Series”

By Andrew Kim Northwest Asian Weekly Tofu has long been a staple in Asian cuisine and a favorite among vegetarians.

Although I grew up eating tofu, I never thought much about where it came from or how it was made. How does a soybean turn into tofu? As part of my desire to eat healthier and also to get to know more about the food I was consuming, I set out to discover a little bit more about tofu and actually learn how it to make it.

The exact origin of tofu is not known but researchers believe that it was discovered in China around 2,000 years ago. There are several interesting theories of origin but insufficient evidence to conclusively confirm exactly how tofu was discovered.

It was later introduced to neighboring Asian countries and has become a staple in some countries including Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. As Western countries have become more interested eating healthy, tofu has become increasingly popular and can be found in dishes such as lasagna and as a vegetarian substitute for meat.

Tofu is made from soybeans and can come in a variety of textures, from smooth and soft, to crispy and crunchy. Since it absorbs the flavors of ingredients that it is cooked with, tofu is a versatile and adaptable food.

It can even be served as dessert, (usually the “silken” variety is used for these dishes). Tofu gets its reputation as a health-

caption

caption

caption

conscious choice since it is an excellent source of protein, iron, and calcium.

After reading up on tofu, I set out to figure out what all the buzz was about. I thought the best place to start would be to actually make my own tofu. Tofu is inexpensive to buy at the store but even cheaper to make at home. It is time and labor intensive but definitely worth it at the end.

It is easy to make and the only two ingredients you need are soybeans and a coagulant. It will help to have a cheesecloth and a box to shape your tofu. If you are interested in making your own tofu, I would advise purchasing a tofu-making kit

which will contain the coagulant, cheese cloth, and box. The other materials you will need (pots, blender, and strainer) are common kitchen items. There are numerous instructional websites and cookbooks that will teach you to make tofu.

However, what it comes down to is: — Soak the soybeans.

— Slowly cook.

— Strain the milk.

— Add the coagulant.

— Mold.

This is an abbreviated version of the process, but my advice to you is to set aside a few hours and have fun! I went into it

thinking that there was no way I would be able to successfully turn soybeans into a block of tofu but to my surprise, it turned out really well. It was not as smooth as what you get at the store, but once I cooked it and incorporated it into a recipe, no one could tell the difference!

In addition, a byproduct of making tofu is that strained soymilk – which is delicious in its own right! 

■ community news

2015 Folk Life Festival

caption

At this year’s 44th Annual Folk Life Festival at The Seattle Center, about 5,000 performers gathered together to participate in cultural events and activities. Each year, artists, musicians, dancers, and storytellers share their talents without compensation with communities from all over the Pacific Northwest. The 2015 Folk Life Focus was “Beats, Rhymes, and Rhythms: Traditional Roots – Today’s Branches”. Some highlights at Folk Life included a Saturday afternoon of CelticIrish festivities and dance.

Boeing Green hosted an open session of Irish traditional dance music. The session

featured a core of competent players (recruited from established Seattle-area sessions) who share a goal of encouraging musicians who have limited or no experience playing this music with others to have an authentic session experience in a non-intimidating environment. 

Andrew Kim can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.

asianweekly northwest

8

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

■ at the movies

“Man Up” gets a thumbs down

This week at SIFF “The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor” Reviewed by Tiffany Ran

By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Just to clarify, Justin Chon’s “Man Up,” available now through Vimeo On Demand, isn’t the romance comedy of the same name being released this year, starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell.

And that’s too damn bad, because I would have rather watched that movie. I would have rather watched almost anything else than roughly eighty minutes of unfunny comedy, pointless dialogue, ludicrous characters, and painful tedium. Chon made his name as an actor in {see MOVIES cont’d on page 13}

In one lifetime, Dr. Haing S. Ngor went from Cambodian refugee to Academy Award winner, author, and activist only to be gunned down outside of his home in Los Angeles in 1996. Not to be confused with original film where Ngor served as a costar, “The Killing Fields” documentary draws from stories and experiences gleaned from two biographies detailing Ngor’s life under Pol Pot’s regime and after winning the Academy Awards for his performance in the film. The documentary portrays Ngor’s wide range of experiences from harrowing atrocities to his time in Hollywood through a montage of old footage, interviews, and animation that intimately captures the legacy, which Ngor leaves behind, a human face behind one of the world’s worst genocides.

June 5, 6pm at Kirkland Performance Center June 6, 12:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival

“2045 Carnival Folklore” Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin

A party at the end of the world? Well, it’s been done before, “2045 Carnival Folklore” throws in a post-nuclear meltdown setting, secret agents fighting a secretive government, and noise rock. Lots of noise rock. This film wasn’t available for viewing at press time— and it’s so obscure that the Internet Movie Database has no record of it. Talk about secret secrets! It’s also about how quickly we forget (despite our best intentions) what brought us to the brink in the first place. And that much, alas, hardly sounds like science fiction.  June 5, 7 pm, SIFF Film Center at Seattle Center June 6, 7 pm, SIFF Film Center at Seattle Center; director Naoki Kato and actor Ryusuke Hayashi are scheduled to attend the Friday show; Kato, Hayahsi, and musician Toshiji Mikawa are scheduled to attend the Saturday show.

Tiffany Ran and Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

■ on the shelf

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

9

Strange and strong couples Connecting through work, awkwardness, and romance

By Samantha Pak Northwest Asian Weekly

The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf (Hobson & Choi: Case One)

By Nick Bryan CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014 On the first day of her work experience (similar to a job shadow or internship) at private detective John Hobson’s London office, 16-year-old Angelina Choi is asked to bring his business into the world of social media.

As a teenager, Facebook, Twitter and the like are a breeze. The only problem is the Korean adoptee’s first attempt to bring Hobson into the 21st Century works too well. Her campaign — if they get 400 followers, Hobson will solve a murder case for free — goes viral and before either of them knows it, they’re off trying to figure out who is letting some sort of wolfhound on the loose to kill people.

The pairing of a tech-savvy high schoolaged girl and a middle-aged curmudgeon who doesn’t have time for such modern-day trappings as the Internet, is an unlikely one, but Bryan makes it work. With Angelina’s innocent naiveté always looking for the best in people and Hobson’s cynicism and skepticism always questioning, the two balance out each other’s personalities: She teaches him how to be sensitive and consider others’ feelings, while he shows

her that not everything should be accepted at face value.

Although there are a couple of grisly murders throughout the story, Bryan balances this with the humor that comes with a teenaged girl interacting with a middle-aged man as they each try to understand the other’s world.

And just as they are a strong duo, they are equally strong individually.

Angelina is a strong young woman who stands up for herself and others, and is not afraid to do some investigating on her own.

However, Bryan reminds us that she is still just a teenager through the interactions with her mother at home — going through the typical teenage rebellions of adolescence.

Hobson may seem like a grumpy old detective set in his ways, but the way he comes to treat Angelina as a surrogate daughter shows how he is willing to change and accommodate for others.

Eleanor & Park

By Rainbow Rowell St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013

The year is 1986. The month is August and 16-year-old Park Sheridan — a halfKorean, half-white boy living in Omaha, Neb. — boards the bus to school just like any other day. But this morning, things are a little different as a new girl gets on a couple stops later. With no one else welcoming her to join them, Eleanor Douglas — also 16 — is forced to sit next to the “stupid Asian kid.” {see SHELF cont’d on page 15}

asianweekly northwest

10

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

■ PUBLISHER'S BLOG

OPINION

Why aren’t you smiling?

Insights for happiness

when you are optimistic.

Yes, the glass is half full and not half empty! At the end of the day, don’t count those lousy things happen to you, but the goodness you see and the nice things that have touched you and your family and friends.

My friend got a new boyfriend, and she found a new job after sweating four years of college. Most people would feel on top of the world, celebrating success and feeling bliss. Yet, she seems to be cranky.

In fact, I have interacted with a lot of grumpy people lately. They rarely smile.

They enjoy blaming others for their unhappiness, and seldom appreciate what they have.

I am not a psychiatrist, but I study people from afar to observe why they don’t smile any more.

7. Doing it with love

1. Don’t overwork

My friend is a “miracle worker.” For days and weeks, she can work without breaks and sometimes sleep—all in the name of money.

Having good work ethics is sound, but it is at the expense of losing herself, interest in life, and being numb to everything surrounding her. Sure, her body functions, but mentally, she is exhausted. She doesn’t have a life outside work. She has no time for friends or her family.

“She is mad that we don’t call her to hang out,” another friend said, “But when we called her, she is always busy with work.”

Then she blames others for neglecting her. And she is taking everything personally. She fights about tiny issues and gets angry easily. What she doesn’t understand is that she has chosen her job over her friends. Naturally, her friends have left her.

Balance helps us to appreciate life more.

Learn to say “no” is the best way to attain a balanced life.

you. Complaining is not the answer. But if you get up and do something about it, even though it may not work at first, you automatically feel better. Eventually, solutions can be found because you have taken small steps to correct a problem.

4. Sharing your problems

Coordinating all the day-to-day tasks of publishing newspapers can be challenging and very difficult. I used to burden all the problems on myself. Now, I share my concerns with my staff and family. On several occasions, solutions appear at the table through brainstorming. Instantly, I feel relief and hopeful again. It is important to remind myself that it’s about teamwork when it comes to publishing the papers. No one can do it by herself.

found that 60 percent of people have a negative view toward the world.

Why? Perhaps, there is too much bad news than good news. (You can blame us!)

The media is inclined to print more bad news than good. We are overwhelmed by national and global disasters, wars, hunger, and injustice.

Try to look toward the future and often the bright side. You can only see possibilities

Service means you have done small things with great love, said Mother Teresa. When I do things with love, it makes me happy. It instantly relaxes my body and replenishes my soul. I often celebrate small successes rather than waiting to hit the jackpot.

See the faults in others often tend to make us cranky. So look for others’ merits. Smile and congratulate yourself and your family and friends often. My friend Jane Nishita is great about all the positives in life. Thank you, Jane.

If you want to change your outlook, find other passions in life to renew yourself, that don’t have to do with material wealth or your work. Over time, you will see the difference. 

All sale lasts from Friday 6/5 to Thursday 6/11 1221 S. King St., Seattle ∙ 206-720-0969 Monday—Sunday: 8:30 a.m.—8 p.m. www.lamsseafood.com

FEATURE ITEMS

2. Money shouldn’t be the only goal 5. Empathy for others

I spend a lot of time listening to my staff and friends’ worries. When you have empathy for your people, you are able to put things into perspective. You won’t feel that your troubles are unique.

Things that happen in the world are 10 times worse than what have affected you.

Consequently, it prepares you to deal with challenges because you are able to see things wide and far.

3. Whining is not the way

6. Don’t let negativity invade

$

$

SEAFOOD

Many people are stuck in a negative view and also in the past. Research has

Want to get the inside scoop on the latest happenings of Seattle’s Asian American community? Follow Publisher Assunta Ng’s blog at nwasianweekly.c om under the Opinion section.

Fresh White Nectarine $1.99 lb

0.99 lb

$

0.69 lb

$

1.69 lb

$

3.75 lb

119.99 10 boxes

Beef Flap Meat $5.19 lb $

4.79 lb

Knorr Chicken Flavored Broth Mix 2.2lb $8.99 $

1.49 lb

$

Fresh Goby Fish $3.99 lb

$

2.99 lb

Fz Swai Fillet $2.99 lb

3.49 ea

Pork Side End Cut $3.49 lb $

2.99 lb

6.99

Offer only good while supplies last.

We reserve the right to correct all printed errors.

2.49 lb

Fz Indian Mackeral 2lb $4.99 ea $

7.99

Atlantic Salmon Fillet $7.99

Fz Goby Fish $3.49 lb

$

5.99 lb

$

$

$125.99/cs 10 boxes

$

5.99 lb

Fresh Snow Pea $1.99 lb

0.59 lb

11.99 4lbs box

Atlantic Salmon Steak $6.99 lb

$

Fz Cuttlefish 1/2M $4.49 lb

White Shrimp 110/130 Headless $13.99/4lbs box $

Florida Longan $7.99 lb

Fresh Opo $0.79 lb

Fresh Sherlihon $0.89 lb

MEAT

If you do nothing but complain, things won’t get better. No one else can help

Thai Banana $1.29 lb

PRODUCE

If money is your only goal in life, you better think twice. Money can buy you security, but not true happiness and satisfaction. The more money you make, the more you feel you have to make more. And then you want to compete with people who should be your neighbors. It is an no-end game.

It’s essential to rethink you life’s goal.

Besides money, what else do you care about?

$

Chicken Drummet $3.29 lb $

2.99 lb

2.49 lb

Duck HeadonFeeton $2.79 lb $

2.59 lb

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

11

OPINION

■ editorial

Something should have been done

■ COMMENTARY

Yes, there has been a lot of media attention to bullying, especially in our schools.

But there is also a reason for that. And that is because bullying consistently exists.

Emilie Grace Olsen was Chinese American, adopted by her U.S. parents, and she killed herself right before this new year, December 11, 2014. She shot herself with a gun.

There is no more clear statement than that. What other bigger statement can you make? She was unhappy (and “unhappy” is obviously a very loose definition, considering she committed suicide).

She was only 13 years old. (That is correct, 13.) She was nine months old when she was adopted and brought from China to Ohio.

Her father, Mark Olsen relentlessly contacted the school in the town of Fairfield Township, about the situation. According to her parents, she was being constantly bullied in school and on social media. There were attempts to change schools, and

address the certain students who were bullying her. Social media seems to play a factor.

Emilie was a good student and by all appearances it figures that she was regarded well in her school community, and is perhaps why the school did not consider the parents’ concerns a real problem.

But it was a real problem, and it should have been investigated more. (See the JACL’s statement and argument on pg. 1.)

We can evaluate wrong and right, but when it comes down to it, if her parents’ concerns were fully addressed by the school, there might have been a small form of hope and future instead of tragedy.

There is also one last afterthought—one extra concern.

How did she access that gun to kill herself?

We will save that for another aggravated, frustrated editorial.

And we will hopefully not have to write about more API suicides. 

Immigration: Why API youth activism matters more than ever

By Mayu Takeda and Sanam Malik Generation Progress With news that the president’s executive action to provide deferrals from deportation for undocumented immigrants will continue to be blocked and Congressional inaction on immigration reform a foregone conclusion, the fate of millions of undocumented immigrants, many of them parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, remains in limbo.

For many of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage (APIs), immigration reform may directly impact their lives. It is estimated that 16 percent of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, and two-thirds, or 66 percent, of those with Asian heritage in the U.S. were born abroad, the highest among any racial or ethnic group (by comparison, 37 percent of Latinos are foreign born, 8 percent for African Americans, and 8 percent for whites).

As academics, lawmakers, and the broader American public seek to further understand this diverse and fast growing group of people, it is important to orient that understanding around immigration, which has had a profound impact on the history of APIs in the United States.

From the Chinese Exclusion Act to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, and more recently, President Obama’s announcement and the subsequent suspensions of programs for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), the flow of migration of people to and from Asia and the Pacific Islands has been largely dependent on political winds and public opinion. However, as they gain political and electoral power, a growing number of APIs, particularly API youth, could, and should, soon demand action from policymakers.

API youth, many of whom are first and second generation immigrants with various language and cultural backgrounds, face numerous challenges. One of the challenges that affects their social and psychological well-being is that they are constantly labeled as the model minority, a large generalization which asserts that the majority of Asian and Pacific Islanders have already achieved the American Dream. Social media movements such as #ModelMinorityMutiny and #Start-

caption

TheConversation aim to debunk this myth, encouraging the API community to stand in solidarity with other communities of color.

Furthermore, API youth face many cultural and language

barriers, making them the least civically engaged group in the United States. Although the API community has the potential to hold strong electoral and political power, they are still the least

politically engaged. One of the reasons is that both political parties find it hard to reach this community due to their diverse backgrounds and languages. In 2012, 8 percent of Asian-American vot-

ers didn’t vote due to their limited English proficiency.

Consequently, to increase voter turnout rate, API youth groups across the country have organized multilingual phone banks. For example, Advancing Justice-LA partnered with community groups, including 4 youth groups, to hold the nation’s largest multilingual and culturallyappropriate phone bank in 17 different languages through the “Your Vote Matters! 2014” campaign.

As API youth take the lead on organizing around language access and identity—in addition to other issues of social justice {see IMMIGRATION cont’d on page 14}

asianweekly northwest

12

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

{SINGAPORE cont’d from page 4} Zhao challenged Carter, asking whether America’s criticism of China and its military reconnaissance activities in the South China Sea “help to resolve the disputes” and maintain peace and stability in the region.

Carter responded that China’s expanding land reclamation projects are unprecedented in scale. He said the U.S. has been flying and operating ships in the region for decades and has no intention of stopping.

While Carter’s criticism was aimed largely at China, he made it clear that other nations who are doing smaller land reclamation projects also must stop.

One of those countries is Vietnam, which Carter is scheduled to visit during this 11-day trip across Asia. Others are Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Asked about images of weapons on the islands, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she was “not aware of the situation you mention.”

She also scolded Carter, saying the U.S. should be “rational and calm and stop making any provocative remarks, because such remarks not only do not help ease the controversies in {EDUCATION cont’d from page 1} heart.

During that 2010 trip to the Philippines she began volunteering with the elementary school in a rural village outside Bacolod City that was named after her grandfather, Herminio Maravilla. Her grandfather owned a farm in this village and started the school to ensure that the children of the laborers that worked on his farm were able to go to school while their parents worked.

The mission of The Herminio Maravilla Elementary School is to improve the lives of children and families in the Philippines by helping to provide a place to learn, support teachers in promoting literacy and the love of books in schools and communities.

She helped the school build and pay for sidewalks near the classrooms so the kids did not have to walk on the muddy ground during the rainy season. During her last visit to the school in 2013, Kimrick started a library for the school by collecting donated reading books and cash to ship the books from Seattle to Bacolod City and to build book shelves to house the books.

“I got the idea from my daughter because she loves coming home from school when it is library day. The kids at Herminio Maravilla school don’t get that experience and I knew that building a library was something I could do for the community,” Kimrick said.

Kimrick has raised cash and book donations from her friends, family, school and church community as well as through a crowd-funding website she started. She has also partnered with the local Filipino-American Society on Bainbridge Island to collect books for the library and funds for shipping costs.

Kimrick has collected approximately 6,000 reading books {OLSEN cont’d from page 1} to explain their conclusion that Emilie was not bullied, just as they had an obligation to provide a safe environment for Emilie and all students.

School bullying is an unfortunate reality. JACL is very concerned by the extent of bullying directed at Asian American students. A 2013 report titled One Step Forward, Half a Step Back, issued by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and The Sikh Coalition, found that 50% of Asian students report being racially harassed at their schools. The report also found that Asian students are bullied at a rate 20% higher than whites and 10% higher than {NORTH KOREA cont’d from page 4} with scenic mountains, secluded beaches and a seemingly endless array of monuments and museums, the North has another ace up its sleeve — the image that it is simply unlike anywhere else on Earth.

“Many people in foreign countries think in a wrong way about our country,” Kim said, brushing aside criticisms of its human rights record, lack of freedoms and problems with hunger in the countryside. “Though the economic sanctions of the U.S. imperialists are increasing, we are developing our economy. So I think many people are curious about our country.”

Opponents in the West say tourists who go to North Korea are helping to fill the coffers of a rogue regime and harming efforts to isolate and pressure Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons and improve its human rights record. For safety reasons, the State Department strongly advises U.S. citizens not to travel to North Korea.

the South China Sea, but they also will aggravate the regional peace and stability.”

Carter appeared to strike back in his speech, saying that the U.S. is concerned about “the prospect of further militarization, as well as the potential for these activities to increase the risk of miscalculation or conflict.” And he said the U.S. “has every right to be involved and be concerned.”

But while Carter stood in China’s backyard and added to the persistent drumbeat of U.S. opposition to Beijing’s activities, he did little to give Asia-Pacific nations a glimpse into what America is willing to do to achieve a solution.

He said the U.S. will continue to sail, fly and operate in the region, and warned that the Pentagon will be sending its “best platforms and people” to the Asia-Pacific. Those would include, he said, new high-tech submarines, surveillance aircraft, the stealth destroyer and new aircraft carrier-based early-warning aircraft.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who also is attending the Singapore conference, told reporters that the U.S. needs to recognize that China will continue its activities in the South China Sea until it perceives that the costs of doing so outweigh the benefits. and $1,000 in cash donations to help ship the books from Seattle to Manila to Bacolod. She shipped 4,000 books in mid-March, so that the books would arrive in Bacolod by midJune. Her plan is to be in the Philippines around June 23rd to pick up the books from the port and deliver them to the school. Kimrick will convert a school room into a library with shelves, tables and chairs and she will help the principal set up a library book system. She is currently taking an online training course through the Peace Corps on how to start a sustainable library in a foreign country.

“I am so excited and grateful on so many levels,” Kimrick said. “I am happy that I have the ability to make an immediate impact of children’s lives and hope that in some way, I can make a difference through books and education. I am grateful that I work for a company that recognizes my goals outside of work and supports me. It also means so much to me that I live in a community that has donated thousands of books and helped me pay for the shipping costs to get the books around the world and to a very small province in South East Asia. I am also hoping that this is just a start and that one day, books will be accessible to all children, families and teachers because I believe education is the ticket out of poverty.”

Kimrick is one of 14 Wells Fargo team members across the country to receive a Volunteer Leave award so far in 2015.

The program was established in 1976 and is open to team members who have been with the company for five years among other criteria. Winners are chosen annually based on their personal commitment to the organization, their proposed project, and the potential impact that their project goals will have on addressing a specific social issue.  Lara Underhill can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.

other groups of color. Although the report focused on New York City schools, its implications may extend to all schools with Asian American student populations.

The demographics of the Fairfield City Schools show a racial breakdown of 86.7percent white, 9 percent black, and 1.6 percent Asian. Clearly, students of color can be made to feel isolated and vulnerable. There is a need for Fairfield administrators to reflect on Emilie’s tragic death in the context of policies and rules about bullying that are integrated into the culture of their schools, and programs about race, diversity, and multiculturalism that are embedded in a curriculum that reaches every student, teacher, and administrator. 

None of that has stopped the number of American and European tourists from gradually increasing, and such concerns are not so strong in the countries North Korea is most actively wooing — China, Russia and Southeast Asia.

“About 80 percent of the tourists who come are from neighboring countries,” said state tourism official Kim Yong Il. “It’s normal to develop tourism within your region, so our country is not exceptional in that way. But we are also expanding to European countries as well.”

While the overall quality of life in North Korea hasn’t shifted much in the past few years, efforts to build attractions for visitors and the infrastructure required to host them are already beginning to change the face of the capital and some scattered special tourism zones recently established across the country.

Amid the generally Spartan context of their surroundings, those attractions, which are also used by average North Koreans at much lower fees, can be quite striking.

In Pyongyang, some of the more popular tourist sites

He said he agreed with Carter’s assertion that America will continue flights and operations near the building projects, but “now we want to see it translated into action.”

One senior defense official has said the U.S. is considering more military flights and patrols closer to the projects in the South China Sea, to emphasize reclaimed lands are not China’s territorial waters. Officials also are looking at ways to adjust the military exercises in the region to increase U.S. presence if needed. That official was not authorized to discuss the options publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

One possibility would be for U.S. ships to travel within 12 miles of the artificial islands, to further make the point that they are not sovereign Chinese land. McCain said it would be a critical mistake to recognize any 12-mile zone around the reclamation projects.

The U.S. has been flying surveillance aircraft in the region, prompting China to file a formal protest.

U.S. and other regional officials have expressed concerns about the island building, including worries that it may be a prelude to navigation restrictions or the enforcement of a possible air defense identification zone over the South China Sea. China declared such a zone over disputed Japanese-held {THE KAREN cont’d from page 5} Ryan Borcherding, one of two Dangerous Productions “facilitators,” led warmup exercises, chanting nonsense words “Boom-chicka-boom-chicka” and improvising movements that students copied.

The teens laughed and chatted in Karen, a bit selfconscious, but willing to join the game. Then the group worked on the show’s opening scene when a Karen family arrives at the airport in Minnesota and meets their caseworker. Hsar Kpaw, a youth coordinator with the Karen Organization of Minnesota, interpreted as the teens improvised and shared memories of their own arrivals from their subtropical home country between India and Thailand in Southeast Asia.

“Snow!” shouted one boy, eliciting laughter.

Mu Knay Lay, in a red hoodie and ponytail, was cast as the arriving family’s mother.

At 21, she is old for high school, but St. Paul Schools allows enrollment through 21, offering older students a chance to catch up and learn English.

Like most of the teens there, she was born in a camp.

“It’s like a jail,” she recalled. “You can’t go out anywhere.”

She came to Minnesota in March 2013 with her mother and father, leaving five older siblings in Thailand. Other Karen families who had traveled with them through Bangkok fanned out to other destinations in the United States for resettlement.

“We were nervous and confused,” she said. “All my friends go other places. We were only Karen on plane. It was winter. It was so terrible. My sponsor brought up so many jackets and hats.”

She is happy to be here and is making friends. But it hasn’t been easy.

“Everything is hard for me. The first time we came we could not speak English. When I got to school, I can’t eat American food. I can’t eat cheese. Now I can eat cheese, but I still don’t like.”

Since her parents do not speak English, she navigates the county bureaucracy and writes the rent checks.

Large sheets of paper taped to a nearby chain link fence record an earlier brainstorming session about challenges in Minnesota: “we can’t speak English ... weather change ... no car ... no money ... jobs ... missing the bus.”

“We want to let audience know when we first come the challenges we faced,” said Nar Loe, 16, who wears his pants low and his hair in a mohawk. He said he needs to succeed at school so he can support his mother and father.

“There are two things I want to be. One is a pilot and the second is engineer.”

During the final half-hour, the teens practiced parkour, a sport that involves leaping and climbing over barriers in the urban environment. Olsen got the idea for incorporating parkour after watching Karen students at a school dance doing flips. He thought they’d enjoy it, and he thought parkour could serve as a theatrical metaphor for the obstacles the teens have faced in their journey.

Girls and boys formed two lines and then ran full speed toward wooden barriers lined up on the grass. The sawhorses came up to the students’ chests, but they vaulted over with grace.

“Even though they can’t understand everything I say, they watch my body,” said Collin Cooper, a parkour instructor with Fight or Flight Academy in Edina. “I feel they learn even better that way.”

Some students pushed off the top with one foot. Nar Loe touched only with a hand while his legs sailed up and over with the momentum of his run. He made it look easy. And maybe it was, compared with bigger hurdles he and the other Karen teens have overcome. 

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

■ astrology

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

13

For the week of June 6–June 12, 2015

By Sun Lee Chang

Rat — Ever the resourceful one on the group, you are able to create alternatives where others see only obstacles.

Dragon — A distant rumbling is getting closer. As the sound approaches, you may find that the commotion is much ado about nothing.

Monkey — An odd combination might make more sense than a standard one for a problem that needs a creative solution.

Ox — The constant call to duty can take its toll. Take care of yourself, for you are most effective when you are strong.

Snake — The stakes just got a little bit higher. You will have to decide whether it is worth it to stay in the game.

Rooster — Finding what you are good at and what you actually want to do may seem like two different things, but eventually they will come together.

Tiger — Are you contributing to the drama that is happening at home? Take a step back and figure out a better way forward.

Horse — You have the ability to maintain a singular focus, but there are times where distractions aren’t such a bad thing.

Dog — Spending time with your family should be a high priority this week. They will give you more than you expected.

Rabbit — Having fared well so far, you are optimistic for the future. Invest in sound preparation and you will be in good shape.

Goat — While a recent setback could be a challenge to overcome, you are already well on your way to building back up.

Pig — It will be to your benefit to listen to sound advice that is given to you today from a source that has been where you are.

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 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.

{SOUTH KOREA cont’d from page 4} or friends.

“We are not against North Korea, but the situation was very critical and miserable, so we left Korea and went to other countries and we are so anxious to meet our relatives,” said an 86-year-old ex-POW now living in San Francisco. He asked to be identified only by his initials — H.T. — out of concern for any living relatives he may have in the North.

Kim said he surrendered himself to South Korea’s military only a month and a half after being conscripted into the North’s Korean People’s Army in 1950. He said he didn’t want to return to the North, where authorities suppressed Christians and severe poverty forced his family to eat porridge made of soybean residue three times a day.

Life at a South Korean island prison camp was also harrowing, he said. South Korean documents say that POWs who supported the North rioted and got into sometimes deadly fights with those who did not.

“I was really fed up with the POW camp life. So many people were killed there,” he said.

During and after the war, the Americanled U.N. forces repatriated more than 83,000 Chinese and North Korean POWs while the North turned back more than 13,000 South Korean and U.N. troops. Tens of thousands of others stayed in the countries they once fought

against; North and South Korea accuse each other of keeping at least some of the POWs against their will.

In 1954, 76 North Korean and 12 Chinese soldiers who chose third countries were first sent to India as a stopover before being moved to countries where they hoped to resettle.

Some wished to live to the U.S., but under an agreement among the U.N. command, North Korea and China, they were allowed to go only to countries that had been neutral in the war.

After more than two years of being stranded in India, about 60 ex-North Korean soldiers were eventually able to move to Brazil and Argentina. H.T. moved to the U.S. years after settling in Brazil. About 10 others returned to either North or South Korea while the rest remained in India, according to a 2001 research paper from analyst Cho Sunghun at the South Korean state-run Institute for Military History.

The fate of those who returned to the North remains unknown. Many ex-POWs believe unconfirmed past media reports that they were executed, but Cho said they could have been used as propaganda tools instead.

A 1993 documentary film broadcast by South Korea’s MBC television showed the paths many of them took: a medical professor, a quarry owner, a fishing-ship captain. Some were pastors. One was accused of murder and sent to a facility for mentally ill criminals.

{MOVIES cont’d from page 8} “Twilight” and bucked his way up to co-owning a store chain. Alas, judging from his debut film as a director, he can’t direct. Or write. Or act, without someone who can direct watching over him.

The film follows two teenage boys, Martin (Kevin Wu), and his trusty sidekick Randall (Chon himself).

They have a righteous hip-hop song at the beginning of the film. Then Martin discovers his girlfriend is pregnant. We know this is not going too well when the girlfriend’s father smacks Martin in the leg with a baseball bat. Clearly the father is not expecting a wedding to take place. And yet, Martin ends up moving into a tent on the edge of the family property. This is far from the only plot point that doesn’t add up.

Chon and Wu, who co-wrote the script, are Asian, so they can safely exploit Asian stereotypes, such as the domineering mother and the passive, soft-spoken father.

But everyone in this film is so shrill it’s impossible to laugh, not even with guilty laughter. Not a single conversation sounds like a realistic conversation, how actual people talk. Every single conversation sounds like a small child jumping up and down and trying to imitate adult talk heard from the TV that’s on all day— at the top of its lungs.

Martin and Randall try to join a Lamaze class,

Kim arrived in Brazil in 1956 and became a farmer, mostly in the western state of Mato Grosso, where Cuiaba is located.

Many ex-POWs struggled to get along with other Korean immigrants, mostly from South Korea, who only regarded them as just ex-communist soldiers, according to Cho Kyeong-duk, the movie director who is making the documentary about the ex-POWs’ possible return.

“They went to `neutral countries’ or third countries but it was ironic that they couldn’t walk a step away from the ideological confrontation,” Cho said.

Former POWs have been gradually forgotten in South Korea, but many who recall their stories now view them as victims of the war and the ensuing Korean division.

“They are the ones who’ve been standing on the boundary without belonging to either side,” said analyst Chang Yong Seok at Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification Studies. “I think they have undergone really difficult lives.”

Time is running out for any potential reunions. Ten of the 21 POWs Cho has interviewed since beginning his project in 2009 are dead. He believes the remaining 11 are the last former North Korean POWs sent to third countries: six in Brazil, two each in Argentina and the U.S. and one in India.

Under the itinerary of the movie tentatively titled “Return Home,” Cho’s crew is to join

despite the obvious fact that neither of them is going to have a baby. An Indian New Age guru tries to coach them in Lamaze. The pregnant girlfriend disappears because she can and then reappears because she wants to.

A strange, mute, frizzy-haired kid wanders through the film like someone’s bad conscious. Or maybe like the indifference of the universe. It’s hard to tell because no one in this film, regardless of metaphor or simile, has a comprehensible psychology, except for the two male leads who believe in the two of them against the world. Except when they don’t. They have to break up to make up, same as Martin and his girlfriend.

The young people play “Dance Dance Revolution” outside (in Hawaii, where the film is set, it apparently never rains). The TV and the electronic dance floor pads set up in a field, the neighborhood competitions, the quarters faithfully pitched into a basket to pay whoever needs paying, provided the only actual smiles I had through the film. Otherwise, winces.

And the movie, after all the suspense of the pregnancy and Martin’s destiny relative to it, ends with a racial crudity I won’t bother relating. Inexcusable. Definitely don’t click through on this one.  Andrew Hamlin can nwasianweekly.com.

be

reached

at

info@

Kim as he meets other POWs in Brazil and Argentina and flies to India before coming to South Korea around June 25, the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. Cho said Kim is the only one who has so far agreed to travel with him while others remained undecided.

In South Korea, Kim is to visit the site of his POW camp on the southern Geoje Island and the border village of Panmunjom, where the armistice was signed.

Cho and Kim have met North and South Korean diplomats in Brazil several times but haven’t gotten approval from either government. The director said his conversations with diplomats suggest that the North does not want them to visit the South and vice versa, but he insists on stops in both countries.

“More than 60 years have passed but things remain unchanged,” Cho said.

In answers to questions about Cho and Kim’s travel plans, U.N. Command spokesman Cpt. Frederick Agee said it only considers for approval border crossing requests that are officially presented by both Koreas. The command and North Korea jointly oversee the 2.5-mile-wide (4-kilometer) Demilitarized Zone that bisects the peninsula.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry said it determines whether to endorse a South Korean’s request to visit the North after

asianweekly northwest

14

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

{IMMIGRATION cont’d from page 11} such as #Asians4BlackLives and pushing back against attempts to use API students as a wedge to dismantle affirmative action—there are signs that there is growing momentum for youth organizing within API communities.

In addition, the API electorate—which has doubled between 2000 and 2012 from two

million to 3.9 million—points to the expanding power that accompanies the increasing momentum of API youth organizing.

In his proclamation for the 2015 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, President Obama declared, “From the more than one million immigrants who journeyed across the Pacific and arrived on Angel Island to the Chinese American laborers who risked their lives to link our coasts

{SINGAPORE cont’d from page 4} Friday, defense officials revealed that China had put two large artillery vehicles on one of the artificial islands, fueling fears in the U.S and across the Asia-Pacific that China will try to use the land building projects for military purposes or to restrict navigation in the South China Sea. China has defended its activities in the South China Sea as legitimate. And, when asked about images of weapons on the islands, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman

by rail… AAPIs of all backgrounds have set inspiring examples as leaders and trailblazers, united by a common hope for civil rights, equal treatment, and a better tomorrow for all Americans.”

In the 50 years since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was signed into law, APIs have indeed played an integral role in advancing civil rights and equality, and the time has come for API youth to be heard on

Hua Chunying said she was “not aware of the situation you mention.”

Vietnam is a one-party state that squelches dissent, and Amnesty International has said that scores are still being detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

The U.S. has not transferred lethal arms to Vietnam since communists took power at the end of the Vietnam War. A 1984 embargo prohibited arms sales because of concern over the authoritarian government’s human rights record.

Relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized

the crucial issue of immigration. With immigration reform stalled in Congress and the courts poised to undo the benefits of DACA and DAPA, API youth, who comprise over 10 percent of the 1.5 million DACA-eligible immigrants, have the opportunity to mobilize around the programs and demand a better immigration system. 

in 1995, some 20 years after the war’s end. Washington approved non-lethal arms sales in 2006, and ties have since deepened further, particularly as the Obama administration has sought to expand U.S. engagement in Asia.

Vietnam has been pressing for the lifting on the U.S. ban, and officials there have argued that if the country can’t buy weapons from the U.S., it could still buy from other nations. Russia is currently Vietnam’s main source of armaments. 

Service Directory The American Legion Cathay Post 186

Law Office of Kim-Khanh T. Van, PLLC Immigration, Personal Injury, Family, Contracts, Business, & Criminal/Traffic Laws

Serving the community since 1946

607 SW Grady Way, Suite #260, Renton, WA 98057

cathaypost@hotmail.com

Cell: 206-304-0642  Office: 425-793-4357

FREE CONSULTATION! FREE PASSPORT PHOTOS!

SUCCESS SECRETS REVEALED! Selecting ONLY a few pre-qualified people to receive SPECIALIZED success training. For a FREE CD, and to find out if you have what it takes, please call 206-349-2808. English speaking is a must.

PS-ask about a FREE CRUISE.

English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin and other Asian Languages

206-625-9104

www.herrmannscholbe.com

» Personal Injury» Airline Disasters» Bicycle Accidents

» Wrongful Death» Dog Bites » Pedestrian Accidents

Mandarin, Cantonese & Korean Interpreter available

Want to become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter?

Visit www.nwasianweekly.com.

33 YEARS YOUR VOICE

{SPELLING BEE cont’d from page 1} or the unfortunate national recognition that he had failed to spell a word that many of us will never use in our lifetime.

Based on the somewhat-reliable internet source, Wikipedia, Nunatak is an “exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within (or at the edge of) an ice field or glacier.”

Nunatak was the last word on the list of 11 championship words made to test the mettle of pre-teens that had studied for countless hours the correct spelling of most of the words in the dictionary.

Without flinching, Venkatachalam, looking down as if not to look out in the audience to engage in eye contact with his parents to heap more pressure on his already hunched shoulders, began to spell the word. “N-U-N-A-T-A-K” he said into the microphone with more confidence than it seemed from the previous words that he had to spell to get to the final word. “I just didn’t want to keep everyone waiting,” he told the Associated Press about the reason why he did not pause to query about the pronunciation or origin of the word as he had done with other words earlier in the competition.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee has grown into a national curiosity. The organizers and sports network ESPN have made the event into a “sport” of sorts as it airs the national finals on ESPN each June. Taking advantage of the lull between the NBA and NHL playoffs, the Scripps

{SHELF cont’d from page 9} For the next few weeks, the two teens sit together on the bus in silence, sharing the bench only because no one else will sit next to them (this is high school, after all). Eventually, the two bond over comic books as Eleanor “eavesreads” whatever Park brings with him to read on the bus. From there, the two begin sharing their musical interests and soon friendship turns into romance and they are a couple.

As the new girl in school — with bright red hair, a full-figured body and patchwork outfits pieced together from the thrift shop — and almost the only non-white kid in school, Eleanor and Park are misfits in their community. But it is what makes them different that brings them together. For Eleanor, Park and his family represent a safe haven that allows her to get away from an unstable household and abusive stepfather. For Park, Eleanor represents bravery and the courage to be different.

At 16, the two teens realize how fleeting love is and how unlikely it is for them to have found true love at such a young age. But that doesn’t stop them from hoping and giving it a try. While Rowell shows, through her two protagonists, what it’s like to be in love for the first time and the hope and optimism that comes with that, she also doesn’t shy away from the heavier themes that the characters face such as racism and domestic abuse.

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015

National Spelling Bee gets a prime time evening spot on Thursday. In the past, offshore gambling sites have had odds on potential winners. There was even a Broadway play written about the pressures and idiosyncrasies of a spelling bee. What makes a spelling bee so compelling?

Almost one million people tuned in to ESPN this year to watch Venkatachalam and Shivashankar engage in the final round. Surely, they could not have confused this with a baseball game. Although some might argue that both produce the same excitement level.

The “sport” is dominated by Indian Americans. Past champions have included many child prodigies from India including the co-champions this year. 12 of the last 16 Scripps National Spelling Bee winners have roots in South Asia. Shivashankar may have had added pressure to winning as her sister was the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

Shivashankar appeared to struggle with the word “zimocca.” She questioned the judge as to the origin of the word and whether there were alternative pronunciations.

She mimicked having a piece of paper with one hand and a pen in the other as she wrote out the word as a method of recall to guide her through the process of spelling it. She was successful. Zimocca is a sponge of the Adriatic sea which is used as a bath sponge.

For these spelling masters, the championship is the culmination of many hours of study over the course of months and years. There is also the added pressure that

Having not known much about the Japanese occupation of China during that time, “Night” also served as a brief history lesson for me — including a piece of little-known Holocaust

the event is now a now unique television event. With the lights, cameras, and audience watching, spelling in front of everyone is much more daunting than a spelling bee contest amongst your peers in a classroom.

“This is a dream come true,” said Shivashankar, ”I’ve wanted this for such a long time,” said the 14-year-old. Of course, a “long time” is relative for a teenager with the rest of their life ahead of them. She dedicated her win to her grandmother that had passed away.

“I’m finally happy to have success,” Venkatachalam said after the contest. Certainly, he will have many more successes down the road.

For their efforts, both winners this year will earn more than $30,000 in prizes from sponsors of the contest which include Scripps, Words with Friends, Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica.

Not to criticize the prizes but haven’t the winners already mastered most of these prizes? Shouldn’t they receive money toward college or perhaps a down payment on their first car? These type of prizes would certainly get many more kids willing to put in time to spelling.

In a world where we have autocorrect on our computers and text using a variety of acronyms that are hard to decipher as well as purposefully misspelling words to make the 140 character limit, it is nice to see that the art of spelling words correctly is still practiced.  Jason Cruz can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.

heroism — set against the backdrop of jazz music.

From a forbidden love story, to a bit of mystery and intrigue, to a little dose of history, “Night” has a little bit of

In 1936, Thomas Greene, a black classical pianist living in the United States, is recruited to Shanghai to lead a jazz orchestra of other black musicians.

His life changes almost overnight as he goes from having no money, living in a segregated Baltimore, to living in a mansion with his own servants.

Song Yuhua grew up refined and educated but finds herself bonded to a Shanghai crime boss to pay off her father’s gambling debts. While she appears to be submissive, Song actually risks her life by spying on her master for the rising Communist Party.

Song and Greene first meet after one of Greene’s performances, which Song attends with her master.

But it isn’t until the Japanese invade Shanghai that they find their way back to each other and truly become close. As World War II continues, the two become separated as Greene continues with his music in the now-occupied Shanghai and Song travels north to fully join the Party.

“Night” is a story of two unlikely people who share a deep connection but due to circumstance, spend more time apart than they do together. And while this may not sound like much of a love story, Mones makes it work with the moments when the two do reunite.

In addition to Greene and Song’s story, “Night” is also the story of a city torn apart by war. Based on true events with appearances from real historical individuals, Mones shows us a glimpse of what life had been like during that time.

everything for everyone.  Samantha Pak can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

APPLICATION Name: ____________________ Address: ___________________ __________________________ City: _____________ Zip: _______ Phone: _____________________ Birthdate: _____ / _____ / _____ School: ____________________ E-mail: _____________________ Class (as of academic year 2015-2016).

Open to all students, but priority is given to juniors and seniors: ___ Sophomore ___ Senior ___ Junior ___ College Freshman Are you a Northwest Asian Weekly reader? ___ Yes ___ No

Night in Shanghai

By Nicole Mones Mariner Books, 2015

15

WHEN June 22 – July 9, 2015 Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

WHERE Massive Monkees Studio 664 S. King St. Seattle, WA 98104 WHAT • Develop leadership and communication skills • Meet role models and leaders • Discover Asian community resources • Build friendships with youths from other areas of Puget Sound • Exciting field trips • Great speakers • All expenses paid, including ethnic lunches every day for 3 weeks • Earn $200 to $500 in scholarships

Please enclose $50 non-refundable registration fee. x_______________________________ Parent or guardian for students under the age of 18.

Submit a 100-word essay why you would like to join the program.

Mail this application and your essay to: Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 Application Deadline: June 2, 2015 Any application received after the above date will be considered on a space-available basis.

SPONSOR NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 206-223-0623 www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly northwest

16

JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015