VOL 36 NO 25 | JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

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

VOL 36 NO 25

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

FREE 35 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Eric Wagner and daughter Bay, 5.

Sam Sim with daughter Aria, 2.

Jonathon Hui and son Benjamin, 3.

To one of the most important men in any child’s life ... dad. We honor the men who take an active role in their children’s lives and have fun while doing it. see all dads on 16

ABE LUM & CHIN HAN see 7

YAYOI KUSAMA’S INFINITY MIRRORS see 9

Equity and inclusion

Photo by James Tabafunda/NWAW

The Southeast Asian community shares its thoughts at Seattle Central

Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, SCC president, talks to current and former SCC students, alumni, and community representatives of Southeast Asian descent.

By James Tabafunda NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The diversity in Seattle’s population has grown in many ways over the last 50 years.

Seattle Central College (SCC) opened in 1966 as the city’s first two-year college and the 19th in Washington state.

■

While 18 percent of its current student population is made up of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it has renewed its efforts to attract more students with ethnic connections to Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), see SCC on 15

JIMMY GOMEZ & ROBERT LEE AHN see 11

Jeff Lew’s viral war against school lunch shaming

By Arlene Kiyomi Dennistoun NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Everyone seems to want to talk to Jeffrey Lew these days. A former participant in the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation’s Summer Youth Leadership Program (SYLP), Lew has become a media sensation because of a GoFundMe campaign he began in May to pay off the school lunch debt at his son’s school. We had a chance to talk with Lew on the fly, as he was going from one speaking engagement to yet another interview.

Lew was crushed after seeing a CNN Money story about cafeteria staff taking away hot meals from students and replacing it with a bag lunch of cold food — an undesired badge of shame — or sometimes

not providing an alternative at all. Some kids go hungry and won’t eat a bag lunch because of “lunch shaming.”

Being a dad, Lew imagined how he would feel if his child didn’t get to eat, or was taunted for eating “poor people food.”

“Kids are cruel,” said Lew. He heard from one donor who thanked him and recalled her trauma being teased by other children for getting brown bag lunches. The donor told Lew her father worked overtime to afford school lunches, but when the overtime ran out, so did the money for hot meals. “That broke my heart,” said Lew. On the flip side, John Carlson, KVI-AM talk radio host, asked Lew whether his fundraising punished responsible parents, while rewarding irresponsible parents who think they don’t have to pay for school lunches. Lew responded that kids should not suffer because of their parents’ financial situation, whatever that might be. Though surprised by the question, Lew felt better see LEW on 11

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35 YEARS

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Julie Pham on Community Involvement Commission

The mayor and Seattle City Council recently announced the initial 13 appointees selected to serve on the City of Seattle’s new Community Involvement Commission (CIC).

One of the appointees is Julie Pham, co-owner of Nguoi Viet Tay Bac - Northwest Vietnamese News, the founder of Sea Beez, a capacity-building Julie Pham program for Seattle’s ethnic media, and the vice president of Community Engagement and Marketing for the Washington Technology Industry Association.

The CIC will ultimately be comprised of 16 people who will work to ensure that City departments are creating and implementing equitable engagement strategies that lead to more relevant and impactful public participation.

They will also provide feedback on the development of City departments’ community involvement plans. All the appointments are subject to City Council confirmation. ■

2017 A&S Graduate Medalists

sertation on gender, women, and sexuality studies that presented a historical-ethnographic account of Fujian’s forestry industry, particularly the role of gender in labor migration, mobilization, layoffs, and protest in that industry.

Wong won the 2016 Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize from American Poetry Review. Her first book of poetry, Overpour, was recently published. Wong’s work as a UW graduate student in the Department of English focuses on Asian American literary history. Wong’s dissertation proposes that “haunting” is a unifying trope and theme across a variety of female-presenting Asian American and Asian diasporic poets. ■

MiMi Globe Goods took home the Baylor Social Innovation Award on May 23, at the 2017 Seattle University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC)’s 19th Annual Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition.

MiMi Globe Goods, created by Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, is a nonprofit that helps stayat-home immigrants by Ming-Ming Tung Edelman (left) and Aryon Shahidzadeh empowering them with skills and equipment to design, create, and market handcrafted jewelry and accessories. ■

Jane Wong

Shuxuan Zhou and Jane Wong received the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) Graduate Medals in Social Sciences and Humanities, respectively. The medal is awarded to exceptional graduate students, based on faculty recommendations.

Zhou grew up in Fujian, China, and she wrote her dis-

Frances Walton Competition winners

MiMi Globe Goods wins award

Vanita Gupta is new Leadership Conference president Shuxuan Zhou

Division.

Appointed by President Barack Obama as the chief civil rights prosecutor for the United States, Gupta oversaw a wide range of criminal and civil enforcement efforts. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Gupta served as Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Gupta graduated from Yale University and received her law degree from New York University School of Law. ■

Vanita Gupta

Vanita Gupta began her tenure on June 1 as president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

She served previously as Acting Assistant Attorney General and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights

Photo by Richard Androsko

2

From left: Bokyung Byun, Xiao Chen, Frances Walton; Xenia DeviatkinaLoh, and Yasmina Spiegelberg.

On June 3, 15 aspiring classical artists, ages 20-35, from all over the world participated in the annual Ladies Musical Club (LMC)’s day-long Frances Walton Competition, at Magnolia Lutheran Church in Seattle.

The winners were Xiao Chen, piano; Bokyung Byun, guitar; Yasmina Spiegelberg, clarinet; and Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, violin. The four winners performed a free public concert before an enthusiastic audience. ■

GOT A TIP? editor@nwasianweekly.com

45th Annual Friendship Dinner and Auction “Braving The New Wave” Thank you for supporting CISC!

「仁人」四十五週年友誼拍賣晚會於六月三日圓滿舉行 感謝贊助商, 各位來賓及各界捐出禮券, 禮品供拍賣或購買晚宴目錄廣告支持!

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asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

3

Ocean Star fire Washington granted scare REAL ID extension through mid-July

Photo by Liana Woo.

By RACHEL LA CORTE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Fire trucks outside Ocean Star restaurant on June 12.

By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY There were some tense moments earlier thís week at the Ocean Star Seafood Restaurant near 7th Avenue and Weller Street.

Residents in the nearby Asia Condominiums saw smoke pouring from the building the morning of June 12 and called 911.

Eyewitness Liana Woo told the Northwest Asian Weekly, “There were multiple fire engines,

police, and other first responders surrounding the streets around the restaurant. Ladders to the roof could be seen, but I did not see any smoke or flames from the restaurant.” She added, “By 8:00 a.m. when I walked by, everything seemed under control. I am relieved that nothing more serious happened.”

The smoke came from an unattended stove that was left on.

Ocean Star reopened for business on June 13. ■

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Even though Washington state officials asked for an extension from compliance from enforcement of federal requirements for state driver’s licenses and ID cards through October 2020, they said federal officials have informed them that at this point their extension will only be granted through the middle of next month.

A spokesman for the state Department of Licensing said that the Department of Homeland Security is expected to make an announcement soon that the federal agency will be granting a July 10 extension for several states due to a delay in review of progress of the states on compliance with the 2005 REAL ID Act. “No indication was given that there is a problem with Washington’s request in particular, rather, they are all delayed,” Tony Sermonti, the licensing department’s legislative director, wrote in an email.

“We are disappointed by the continued moving of timeframes and commitments by DHS on a topic that can quickly create significant confusion and complication for the traveling public.”

The federal law requires state driver’s licenses and ID cards to have security enhancements and to be issued to people who can prove they are legally in the United States. It was passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to strengthen rules for identification needed at airports and federal facilities.

Washington state lawmakers passed a measure

this year creating a two-tiered licensing system that was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee last month.

Washington state already offers, but does not mandate, enhanced driver’s licenses and IDs that require proof of U.S. citizenship and are valid under the federal law. Starting in July 2018, the state’ s standard licenses — which aren’t in line with the federal requirements — will be marked to indicate they are not REAL ID compliant and thus not acceptable for certain purposes by federal authorities.

Residents will have a choice of which license they want. Those with the non-compliant licenses will need additional documentation — such as a passport, permanent resident card or military ID — to board domestic commercial flights and for other federal purposes, most likely starting in October 2020.

Washington was among several states that were see REAL ID on 14

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4

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ WORLD NEWS

3 giant pandas return to China from Japan under agreement

BEIJING (AP) — Three giant pandas born and raised in Japan have returned to China under a standard agreement to improve the breeding success of the rare animals.

The 6-year-old twins and their 4-yearold sister had been living at Wakayama Adventure World in southern Japan.

The three arrived on June 5 in the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province that is home to most wild pandas, as well as sanctuaries and breeding centers.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the three will be quarantined for a month at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding while they acclimatize to their new home before being displayed to the public.

“They are expected to adapt to changes in food, environment, language, and even the taste of bamboo. We will perform health

checks on the pandas,” Yang Zhi, a disease prevention expert with the center, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Wakayama Adventure World and the Chengdu base have been cooperating on panda breeding research since 1994. The program has led to the births of 15 pandas, eight of whom have now returned to China, according to Xinhua.

Around 420 pandas live in captivity, the majority within China, while an estimated 1,864 live in the wild.

China for decades gifted friendly nations with its unofficial national mascot in what was known as “panda diplomacy.” The country more recently has loaned pandas to zoos on commercial terms.

Most loans last from 10 to 15 years, with fees of as much as $1 million per year. ■

KING COUNTY NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received for C01162C17, Stormdrain Crossing Taxiway B at Connector B5; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 1:30 PM on July 6, 2017. Late bids will not be accepted.

Brief Scope: Repair and replacement of broken, separated, collapsed essential storm drainage lines on King County International Airport, including replacement of 195’ of a deep 30” stormdrain crossing Taxiway B at Connector B5 and nine other SD pipe segments that have experienced significant damage and or breakage causing blockages or separation of pipes. B5 pipe defects are allowing water and soil into the storm system resulting in repeated sink holes in the Taxiway, a significant risk to large aircraft using Taxiway Bravo (Boeing).

Estimated contract price: $700,000 Pre-Bid: June 20, 2017, 8:00 a.m., King County International Airport, 7277 Perimeter Road S, Seattle WA 98108. A site tour will be conducted immediately following the conference. Hardhats and safety boots are required for site tour.

There is a 5% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

There is a 5% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://procurement.kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/ default.aspx

35 YEARS

Giant panda born in Tokyo zoo, survival uncertain

By YURI KAGEYAMA ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO (AP) — A giant panda cub was born in a Tokyo zoo on June 12, but its gender, weight and even whether it will survive are uncertain.

The mother, ShinShin, whose previous cub survived only six days, was holding her newborn in her paw but whether the cub was nursing was not clear, Ueno Zoo said in a statement.

The zoo released a blurry photo of the mother with the tiny head and limbs of her cub also visible.

While ShinShin’s cub born in 2012 died, other pandas born at the zoo have survived.

The father of the newborn is another panda in the Tokyo zoo called RiRi, whose name means “power.” ShinShin’s name

means “truth.”

Ueno Zoo had stopped public display of ShinShin when signs of her pregnancy surfaced earlier this year.

Panda pregnancies and births have long been scrutinized by both zookeepers and the public, and the zoo has increasingly intervened and had zookeepers raise the cubs to ensure their survival. The first panda to be born in captivity in Japan was in 1985, at Ueno Zoo, and it lived only 43 hours.

About 420 giant pandas live in captivity, mostly in their native China, while about 1,860 live in the wild. China for decades gifted friendly nations with its unofficial national mascot in what was known as “panda diplomacy.” The country more recently has loaned pandas to zoos on commercial terms. ■

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ NATIONAL NEWS

Doctor pleads no contest to killing Yale physician

By DAVE COLLINS ASSOCIATED PRESS HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A doctor charged with killing a Yale University physician over a workplace dispute pleaded no contest on June 9 to lesser charges and agreed to serve 32 years in prison.

Lishan Wang, a Chinese citizen from Beijing, was charged with murder for the 2010 killing of Dr. Vajinder Toor and with attempted murder for shooting at Toor’s pregnant wife, who wasn’t hurt, out- Lishan Wang side the couple’s home in Branford.

Wang, 51, pleaded to reduced charges of manslaughter, attempted assault and gun

Red Sox announcer Remy says Tanaka shouldn’t get translator

By BEN WALKER AP BASEBALL WRITER NEW YORK (AP) — Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy says pitchers such as Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka shouldn’t be allowed translators on the mound Jerry Remy and should instead “learn baseball language.”

Remy’s comments on June 6 during the NESN telecast of the Boston-New York game quickly drew harsh criticism on social media, with some saying there isn’t one universal language for baseball.

The Red Sox analyst made his remarks on air after Tanaka was visited by Japanese translator Shingo Horie and pitching coach Larry Rothschild in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium.

“I don’t think that should be legal,” Remy said, telling play-by-play man Dave O’Brien, “I really don’t.”

“Learn baseball language. You know, learn, it’s pretty simple. You break it down pretty easy between pitching coach and pitcher after a long period of time,” Remy said.

O’Brien answered: “I would say that probably, you know, they’re concerned about nuance being lost in some of these conversations.”

As he left the broadcast booth after Boston’s 5-4 win, Remy said he had see REMY on 14

crimes during a hearing in New Haven Superior Court. Sentencing is set for Sept. 22.

The pleas ended seven years of legal battles over Wang’s competency and his wish to represent himself. Wang has been under a judge’s order to be forcibly medicated against his will for mental illness so he can remain competent to stand trial — an issue that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“It’s a fair resolution of a very complex case,” said Wang’s public defender, Thomas Ullmann. “The competency issue poses some real dilemmas in terms of defense strategy and how the state approaches the case.”

If the case had gone to trial, an insanity defense was likely, Ullmann said.

Wang said little in court last week, only answering questions from a judge on whether he understood the plea deal and its ramifications. He will remain under the forced medication order and confined at

Indian immigrant, entrepreneur to run for Michigan governor

the state’s maximum-security psychiatric hospital until sentencing.

Authorities said the shooting appeared to stem from a 2008 workplace dispute Wang had with Toor and other doctors when they worked together at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York City. Wang was fired from the medical center that year after a series of confrontations with Toor and other colleagues.

Toor was a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Medicine who was working with the infectious disease section of Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Judge Thomas O’Keefe Jr. ruled Wang competent to stand trial but rejected his request to act as his own lawyer. The judge also continued his previous order to medicate Wang against his will. Wang’s lawyers have

By DAVID EGGERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

demonstrate that their entry into the country would hurt American interests.

“Immigration, even for the president, is not

LANSING, Mich.

(AP) — Ann Arbor ent re preneu r Shri Thanedar, an immigrant from India who has experienced a Shri Thanedar rollercoa ster of business successes and failures, is running for Michigan governor in 2018, saying he is best-suited to help the state in part because of his own comeback story.

The 62-year-old Democrat announced his candidacy at a Detroit business incubator on June 8.

Last year, he sold a majority stake in Avomeen Analytical Services, a chemical-testing company he founded, and made news by giving $1.5 million in bonuses to roughly 50 employees.

“I want to give back and help others achieve their dreams,” Thanedar told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

He moved to Michigan in 2010 and started Avomeen after living more than two-dozen years in Missouri, where he bought a small three-person lab and grew it to a 450-employee business only to lose the company, Chemir, to receivership and see his multimillion-dollar home foreclosed. He said that while the business did well, a bank took control after his other companies — including a

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Another US appeals court keeps Trump’s travel ban blocked

By GENE JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE (AP) — Another U.S. appeals court upheld a decision blocking President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on June 12, dealing the administration another legal defeat as the Supreme Court considers a separate case on the issue.

The ruling from a unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the president violated U.S. immigration law by discriminating against people based on their nationality and by failing to

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6

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

35 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR JUNE 15

HOMESTEAD COMMUNITY LAND TRUST’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER PARTY, “BUILDING MOMENTUM FOR OUR NEXT 200 HOMES” Edgewater Hotel, The Olympic Ballroom, 2411 Alaskan Way, Seattle 6 p.m. homesteadclt.org HAPPY HOUR FOOD WALK Seattle’s ChinatownInternational District 4 p.m.

16 DORIS DUKE THEATRE Honolulu Museum of Art 7:30 p.m. honolulumuseum.org

18

22

29

MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY Nagomi Tea House, 519 6th Ave. S. Ste. 200, Seattle 7 p.m.

BEACH THEMED MAHJONG NIGHT CO-HOSTED BY NAAAP-SEATTLE Kin On, 4416 S. Brandon St., Seattle 7:15 p.m.

23 & 24

JULY

4TH LAO AMERICAN WRITERS SUMMIT Highline College, 2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines 9 a.m.

24 CHINESE TRADITIONAL MUSIC & DANCE Microsoft Auditorium, Central Library 2 p.m.

206-684-0849 WALK FOR RICE Seaward Park, Seattle 8 a.m. walkforrice.org

ROAD CLOSURES AND ALTERNATE ACCESS ROUTES IN CHINATOWNINTERNATIONAL DISTRICT FOR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MARATHON 6:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

844-411-4674 runrocknroll.com/community

26

20

28

CHINATOWN-INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT COMMUNITY LISTENING POST Nagomi Tea House, 519 6th Ave. S. Ste. 200, Seattle 6 p.m.

KAC-WA’S PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING MIXER The Gokan by Musashi, 954 E. Union St. Ste. 101, Seattle 5:30 p.m.

THROUGH JULY 13

NWAW Summer Youth Leadership Program begins Massive Monkees Studio, 664 S. King St., Seattle 9 a.m.

International District 6 p.m.

AUG

7

LOCAL EVENT WITH AUTHOR LISA KO OF, “THE LEAVERS” Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 Tenth Ave., Seattle 7 p.m. michael@algonquin.com 212-614-5639

8

5–19 ASIAN AMERICAN PARTNERS INSPIRE NEW UNDERSTANDING OF MADAME BUTTERFLY 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. $25 seattleopera.org 206-389-7676

12

7TH ANNUAL SAMOA CULTURAL DAY Clover Park High Harry Lang Stadium 8 a.m.

253-383-3900 apcc96.org

SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: IRANIAN FESTIVAL Seattle Center, Armory Free admission iaca-seattle.org

8&9 JAPAN FAIR 2017 Meydenbauer Center, 11100 N.E. 6th St., Bellevue 7/8, 11 a.m.

7/9, 10 a.m.

Free japanfairus.org

15

NWAW’S TRASHION FASHION SHOW Northwest Asian Weekly office, 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle 1:30 p.m. nwasianweekly.com

■ BRIEFLY

Report: Washington’s homeless population grew last year SEATTLE (AP) — Rough tallies of Washington’s homeless population showed an increase in the number of people living outdoors or in shelters and transitional housing, despite efforts to reduce homelessness.

The Seattle Times reports that surveys conducted in five of the six most populous counties in January showed a jump of 3.5 percent over last year. Especially troubling was a rise of 10 percent in the number of people sleeping on the streets or in tent encampments, from almost 8,500 in 2016 to more than 9,300 this year.

An additional 12,543 were counted in shelters and transitional housing.

Tara Lee, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jay Inslee, said the numbers “starkly demonstrate that while parts of the state are booming economically, the growth is not shared by everyone.”

One bright spot was a 25 percent decrease in Pierce County after two years of sharp increases. ■

26&27 SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: TIBET FEST Seattle Center, Armory and Fisher Rooftop Free admission washingtontibet.org

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

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asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ FATHER’S DAY

7

Of Father’s Day, the old ID, the Four Seas restaurant, and minor league baseball.

By Hon. Dean Lum

in between.

The restaurant was, When I think about Father’s Day, I’m and still is, located in the reminded of my childhood in the 1960s in International District in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District, fairly close proximity to the Four Seas Restaurant, minor league the old Kingdome and baseball, and my father Abe Lum, who brought in a fair number recently passed away. of sports figures over the My father was the original owner of the years. I even worked the Four Seas Restaurant on King Street, along night the Seattle Superwith my grandfather and my uncle Wilber. sonics (all of them) came The original plan was to capitalize on the 1962 in for dinner 30 minutes World’s Fair, but due to construction delays, after they lost the deciding the restaurant opened two months before the 1978 NBA Championship Fair closed. Still, the restaurant enjoyed great game to the Washington success during its heyday, and the Dynasty Bullets. General ManRoom (as the bar was named) served as the ager Zollie Volchok called Abe Lum (left) and his father-in-law, Chin Han, co-owner of the Four Seas in the 1960s. de facto clubhouse for many a group. It’s a bit right after the game to say, sad to think that the bar was unusual and a bit “We’re all coming down! but sports fans had no shortage of minor support beams, there were a large number ahead of its time in having a diverse clientele Get three bartenders!” and hung up. To say league and college teams to root for. We of obstructed view seats. If you want to of Asian, Pacific Islander, white, Black, they were completely devastated would be a saw our share of Husky football players and know what it was like, visit Wrigley Field, Latino, and Native American patrons, but I gross understatement. For some reason, they Pac-8 referees over the years, but all of the sit behind a beam, but imagine a smaller, remember seeing everyone come through celebrated at Henry’s Off Broadway the fol- Pacific Coast League minor league umpires slightly less historic facility with old wooden there. Bob Santos and Bernie Whitebear lowing year when they won the championship gravitated to my dad’s bar. Rumor has it benches, and you’d be close on the look and could be seen holding court in one corner, and didn’t come back and see us. the appeal was the “Chinatown pour,” a feel. The smell in the stands was an amazing Senator Warren Magnuson in another, with Before the Supersonics arrived in 1967, tendency of ID bartenders to be a bit heavy- mix of roasted peanuts, popcorn, hot dog many others (some famous, some infamous) Seattle had no major league sports teams, handed with the good stuff. Whatever water, stale Rainier Beer, old wood, and the appeal, the umpires were post-game humanity. The space below the grandstands regulars, and they befriended my dad. So was enclosed, dark and definitely not for the they would invite us to the Seattle Angels claustrophobic. The restrooms were, well, games at Sick’s Stadium, many of which what you’d imagine for a really old, funky occurred right around Father’s Day. My historic wooden stadium. My memory may father, like so many fathers of his generation, be failing me, but I think there was an open worked day and night six days a week, so trench in one of the restrooms. we jumped at the chance to spend any time One of my happiest memories was being with him, and the fact that we got to go to an escorted down into the bowels of Sick’s SEAFOOD GROCERY “Yamachan” Angels game was an added bonus.

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8

35 YEARS

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ WORLD NEWS

Takeoff and cruise: Toyota making ‘flying car,’ luxury boat TOYOTA, Japan (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is working on a “flying car.”

A startup backed by the Japanese automaker has developed a test model that engineers hope will eventually develop into a tiny car with a driver who’ll be able to light the Olympic torch in the 2020 Tokyo games. For now, however, the project is a concoction of aluminum framing and eight propellers that barely gets off the ground and crashes after several seconds.

Toyota has invested $386,000 in startup Cartivator Resource Management to work on “SkyDrive .” At a test flight on June 3, in the city where the automaker is based, the gadgetry, about the size of a car and loaded with batteries and sensors, blew up a lot of sand and made a lot of noise.

It managed to get up as high as eye level for several seconds before tilting and falling to the ground. Basketballs attached to its bottom served as cushions. After several attempts, the endeavor had to be canceled after one of the covers got detached from the frame and broke, damaging the propellers.

The goal of Cartivator’s is to deliver a seamless transition from driving to flight, like the world of “Back to the Future,” said the project’s leader Tsubasa Nakamura.

“I always loved planes and cars. And my longtime dream was to have a personal vehicle that can fly and go many places,” he told The Associated Press.

The group is now working on a better design with the money from Toyota with the plan to have the first manned flight in 2019. No one has ridden on SkyDrive yet, or any drone, as that would be too dangerous.

Still, dabbling in businesses other than cars is Toyota’s trademark. In recent years, it has been aggressively venturing into robotics and artificial intelligence, investing a billion dollars in a research and development company in Silicon Valley.

It’s also working in Japan on using robotics to help the sick walk. It also just announced a five-year $35 million investment in its research center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for autonomous and connected vehicle technologies.

The idea that each generation must take up challenges is part of Toyota’s roots, said auto analyst Takaki Nakanishi.

President Akio Toyoda’s great-

AP Photo/Koji Ueda

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP BUSINESS WRITER

Tsubasa Nakamura, project leader of Cartivator, third from left, watches the flight of the test model of the flying car on a former school ground in Toyota, central Japan, as another member operates the remote control. The model took off several times, hovering at eye level for a few seconds, before falling to the ground.

grandfather Sakichi Toyoda started out developing the loom and then its automated improvements from the 1890s, before the company became an automaker.

More recently, Toyota sees software and services as central to the auto industry, as cars become connected, start driving themselves and turn into lifestyle digital tools, Nakanishi said.

As Toyota gets into the business of ecological vehicles, such as hybrids, electric cars and fuel cells, it’s turning into an energy company as well.

“Toyota’s business is centered on mobility, anything that moves, including people, things, money, information, energy,” said Nakanishi.

Toyota is traveling not only in the skies but also to the waters, although that still remains a tiny part of its sprawling empire.

Toyota’s boat operations began in 1997.

Toyota now offers four models and has sold a cumulative 845 boats. In contrast, Toyota sells about 10 million vehicles a year around the world.

Reporters recently got a ride in Tokyo Bay of a Lexus luxury concept “yacht,” which runs on two gas engines. With a streamlined curvaceous design, inspired by a dolphin and evocative of a Lexus car, it’s being promised as a commercial product in the next few years.

Designed for executives zipping through resort waters, it comes with fantasy-

evoking features, like an anchor pulled in by a chain into a tiny door in the bow, which opens then closes mechanically.

The engine, shiny like a chrome sculpture, is visible beneath the sheer floor surface. Shigeki Tomoyama, the executive in charge, said the boat was going for “a liberating effect.” A price was not given.

Many Americans have already expressed interest, according to Toyota.

The project started about two years ago under direct orders from Toyoda, who has with Tomoyama spearheaded Toyota’s Gazoo internet business, another non-auto business for Toyota.

“He asked us to create a space that can work as a secret hiding place in the middle of the ocean,” Tomoyama said. “We went for the wow factor, which requires no words.” ■

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors to open at Seattle Art Museum

By Tiffany Ran NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Yellow Tree

Enter a room of infinite lights or dots that appear to float across an endless reflective plane simulated by numerous glass mirrors and one might feel the sense of cosmic wonderment or surreal harmony which artist

Yayoi Kusama envisioned as part of her work. Her “Infinity Mirrors” traveling exhibition drew crowds by the thousands when it debuted at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. This month, the exhibit will land at the Seattle Art Museum. Ticket sales for the exhibit began on May 30.

The exhibit will open in Seattle on June 30 to Sept. 10.

Along with five mirrored rooms, the exhibit will feature an overview of Kusama’s 65-year career, including works on paper, sculptures, and large scale paintings from the 1950s to the present. This also includes her works during the 1960s, which were often showcased alongside other notable artists like Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg.

For Kusama, this exhibit marks a great return to Seattle since her first U.S. solo exhibition of paintings and watercolors at the now closed Zoë Dusanne Gallery in 1957. Much of Kusama’s early works were influenced by war. Her earliest work addresses her experience growing up during World War II in Japan, including dark forms and abstract renderings in her paintings and watercolors. Subsequent works also include her activist art made in opposition to the Vietnam War. The exhibit and Kusama’s life work is a progression from micro to macro that will push visitors into close examination of humanity and subsequently pull them out and immerse viewers in an otherworldly cosmic space. An examination of her art over the years will lead to a greater understanding of her signature Infinity Mirrors. The Seattle Art Museum anticipates long

Infinity Mirrored Room – Love Forever

lines for each of the Infinity Rooms. Visitors should expect to spend one to two hours at the exhibition. The Infinity Mirror Rooms allow for two to three people at a time, at 20 to 30 seconds, per the artist’s requests.

Timed ticketing will be in effect for the duration of the exhibition in anticipation from the high demand. ■ For more information about Yayoi Kasuma: Infinity Mirrors, visit seattleartmuseum.org.

Tiffany Ran can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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THE OBJECTIVE: Design a wearable outfit or garment that incorporates recycled materials and/or NWAW/Seattle Chinese Post newspapers.

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— Up to to 3 photographs of your design — A brief description of your work Entries can be directed to RSVP@NWASIANWEEKLY.COM or mailed to: Northwest Asian Weekly Attn: Trashion Fashion 412 Maynard South Seattle, WA 98104 (Multiple entries and all ages welcomed!)

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9

asianweekly northwest

10

35 YEARS

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

OPINION

{Father’s_Day_reflection} Three weddings and a funeral

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Father’s Day is coming, and I am pondering how lucky I was to have two fathers. However, I never felt like I had a father when I was growing up.

My parents divorced when I was 5 or 6.

Now with divorce rates as high as 40 to 50 percent in America, I empathize with children of divorced parents. Divorce can complicate family gatherings. Do you spend time with your biological dad or the dad who raised you on Father’s Day? I never had that problem, even though my parents were divorced since I was little. Both my dad and stepdad are now deceased. But I often think about them on Father’s Day, reflecting on the father who had been absent in my childhood.

My mother simply forbade me to see my late father. Their conflicts ran so deep that I didn’t see my dad with her knowledge until I was in my 20s. (Yes, I did sneak out to see dad once or twice a year.)

My stepdad didn’t accept me until I graduated from high school. Part of the reason, I suspected, was I did well in the public exam for high school graduates. Most of the time, he worked in other Asian countries, trying to make a living.

When he was home, I would try to avoid him, hiding in other parts of the apartment.

The exchanges we had usually lasted no more than five seconds. I said, “Pa.” He then nodded, acknowledging me. However, he was the one to convince my mom to let me study in America. He paid for my college education the first year and some of my second year, and I will be forever grateful. During my first year in America, he visited me from Hong Kong to make sure I was okay. It was freezing one December when he arrived and I remember his leather shoes were all soaked up in snow and mud. He was thrilled to see me, though.

I never had to choose between my dads, except when I got married. It almost ruined my wedding day decades ago.

The first wedding

“If he (your dad) is coming (to your wedding), I will not be there,” my mother said, who gave me an ultimatum.

My heart desired both fathers to be present on this important day of my life.

And my dad wanted to be a part of it, too.

When he heard about mom’s rage, he gave in. “Don’t worry, let her come to Seattle,” he said. I knew he was deeply hurt.

Eventually, my stepdad walked me down the aisle. I often wonder what other daughters would do to avoid hurting both fathers.

A few months ago, I read in the New York Times about a woman getting married, and she had two fathers like me.

Who did she ask to walk her during the wedding, dad or stepdad who raised her most of her life? She asked her dad. Of course, the stepfather was immensely sad as he had loved her as his own.

The ending was incredibly moving.

Both dads held the hand of the daughter on each side, walking down the aisle together. It wasn’t the daughter’s idea nor the stepfather’s.

At the last minute, it was the bride’s dad to invite the stepdad to join him in

though he had no blood relationship to my stepdad.

“I didn’t know he (stepdad) had other kids,” another friend commented. She was referring to my stepdad’s children in town.

“Well, we all have our own stories in the past,” my mom said, smiling with tears. There were no more secrets. The truth had set her free. I’ve lost track of how many lies she told in the past about her marriage. It affected my self-image — it became my shame and burden to bear as well. What’s ironic is that, her daughter is now a writer. I have no regrets about sharing the beautiful and ugly, black and white, lies and truth, real and unreal…

Sorry, mom!

The third wedding walking down the aisle. All these years, he had witnessed how much her daughter was being loved and cared for by another man.

The stepdad was there for her all the way.

How could the birth dad deny the genuine love between the two and how much it would mean to the other father to share that moment?

What a beautiful solution! This approach could only be possible in this modern age.

Yet, to have both dads walking me down the aisle in the old days would reveal embarrassment — announcing to the world that my parents were divorced. It’s the part of the story I was unwilling to disclose, even to my good friends for years. It’s hard to talk about, and also hard not to talk about my parents’ divorce for a long time. In reality, my silence misled people around me.

Subconsciously, I wanted people to believe that I was from a perfect family living in a perfect world. I lacked the courage to tell the truth.

Today, I have no problems talking about my parents’ divorce, but it’s still my least favorite subject. I wish I was as open-minded back then.

The second wedding

The scenario of which parent got to go to the wedding came up when my younger brother in Texas got married two years after I did.

When my family split up, I lived with my mother, and my dad had custody of my brother. My mother told my brother, “If your dad is coming, count me out.”

Again, my dad gave in. My mother and I went to Texas for my brother’s wedding. At that time, the bride’s side knew about my brother’s family situation.

My mom always got her way. I don’t know why I or my brother never spoke up. I wish I had been wiser and strong enough to stand up to my mother then. Why should the children be the ones to pay for their parents’ estrangement?

Dad, thank you for your understanding all these years and teaching us the meaning of generosity in spirit.

The funeral

“I didn’t know you had a son,” a friend told my mother at the funeral of my stepdad in 2002 in Thailand. My brother from Texas attended the service to support mom, even

I helped my parents make peace with one another several years ago. I asked mom why she was angry with dad?

“He owes me money,” she said.

That’s easy, I thought. I told dad, and he repaid with interest. Since then, they were actually happy to see each other at family gatherings.

Seven years ago, my brother threw a wedding party for his daughter and son-inlaw for all their Hong Kong relatives, and both mom and dad attended. They were talking happily to one another like they were old pals.

The union they once had was not perfect, but the bond remained that she was the mother of his children and vice versa. No anger, resentment, or bitterness can change thats.

And children should never bear the price of the divorce. Forgiveness will help all parties involved to move forward.

It took a funeral and three weddings for my family to finally open up, and appreciate the history they shared. No matter how bad the situation, it will pass and the sun will come out tomorrow.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

■ EDITORIAL

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

11

OPINION

The tale of two Democrats They are two sons of immigrants with working class roots, who shared similar ideas on health care, immigration, and resistance to President Donald Trump. Both are Democrats.

Jimmy Gomez, Latino, versus Robert Lee Ahn, Korean American, in the 34th Congressional District race in California.

Gomez ended up winning the special election on June 6 in the heavily Democratic district that runs through downtown Los Angeles, and it did not change the balance of power in Congress. The seat was held for years by Xavier Becerra, another Democrat who stepped down after being appointed California state attorney general.

Ahn, 41, the son of Korean immigrants, emerged as a favorite in the district’s bustling Koreatown neighborhood.

If he had won, Ahn would have become the second Korean American elected to the House and the first Korean American Democrat.

Koreans have not had one of their own in the U.S. House since the late 1990s.

Two years ago, David Ryu became the first Korean American to hold a City Council seat in Los Angeles. Steven Choi, who was born in South Korea, was elected to the state

LEW from 1 prepared for difficult questions in the future.

In the short amount of time Lew began his fundraising efforts, he’s found two types of people — supporters and naysayers. He tries his best to avoid negative comments about why Lew is getting attention when it’s not his money, that kids should learn to deal with shaming, or that parents shouldn’t be getting a free ride.

None of the media coverage has been because Lew sought it out. The media came to him for whatever reason, and he’s unsure how or why he got so much publicity. He thinks he may have struck a nerve with the right people at the right time. It’s come full circle, said Lew, starting with his learning about lunch debt and shaming from a CNN story, to CNN doing a story about his successful fundraising efforts.

Capitalizing on his media fame, Lew began GoFundMe campaigns for the Seattle, Tacoma, Renton, and Spokane school districts. He coordinated with the school districts to ensure the funds go directly to them. In addition to raising three kids with his wife and working a full-time job, Lew figures he spends about three to four hours a night responding to media requests and maintaining a social media presence to keep the momentum going forward.

Jimmy Gomez and Robert Lee Ahn

Assembly in 2016.

Data provided by Political Data Inc. showed Korean Americans, who make up just 6 percent of the district’s voters, made up more than a quarter of votes cast.

The election of Gomez, 42, the son of Mexican immigrants, continues a decades-old tradition of Democratic Latino representation in the district, where half the voters are Latino, compared with a relative sliver of Asian voters.

Gomez emphasized his legislative know-how and broad

People are hailing Lew as a hero, but Lew insists he’s not. “The community is the hero. It’s the community who has rallied and done the work.” He’s gratified for leaving a legacy for his children who will know their dad started a movement to end school lunch debt and shaming. Lew tells his oldest child if you see something affecting you that isn’t right, or if you want to fight to make something better, don’t be afraid to try.

Lew has done so many interviews that he feels pretty comfortable in front of a camera because he’s passionate about ending school lunch debt and shaming. He did his first speaking engagement in front of 100 people, which he found “scarier” than live TV interviews. Inspired by Lew’s passion and commitment, the CEO of America’s Credit Union asked Lew to speak at a staff meeting. Lew imagined a dozen people and got an audience of 100 instead. It was nerve wracking, but his message inspired the crowd, and he raised $7,000.

Lew is blown away by the tremendous amount of media coverage by Huffington Post, CNN, all of the major television networks, radio broadcasts, and newspapers.

School districts across the nation have begun their crowd funding efforts, though they haven’t received the publicity Lew has. Singer John Legend recently turned up the viral wattage by donating $5,000 to the campaign and meeting

support within the party ranks and from organized labor. Ahn, a lawyer and former Los Angeles planning commissioner, embraced the role of an outsider who wants to shake up politics as usual.

The result may feel like a letdown for many of the district’s estimated 17,000 Korean American voters, who responded to Ahn’s call to become more civically engaged following the 25th anniversary of the L.A. riots that left them feeling voiceless.

Politics is still dominated by old, white men.

According to the Pew Research Center, about 2 percent of the American public has run for some kind of political office.

Men, despite being a slight minority of the U.S. population, comprise about three-quarters of all candidates. And while whites are two thirds of the population, they are 82 percent of all candidates for office.

While both political parties need to do a better job of recruiting and supporting more diverse candidates, individuals themselves must step up and take on this role.

You can’t win if you don’t run. And the 34th Congressional District race clearly highlights the possibilities. ■

with Lew and his wife at a recent concert in King County.

Lew’s fame landed him an interview on KING 5 recently, where Lew pointed out excitedly, “I got to sit next to the great Lori Matsukawa!” Lew has watched Matsukawa since he was little, and he was thrilled. Matsukawa interviewed Lew on KING 5 after hearing about John Legend’s donation.

Despite the media attention, Lew has managed to keep his personal life private. He demurs when asked about his employer and family’s reaction to all the publicity. The safety and privacy of his family come first.

During his time in the SYLP, Lew recalls listening to leading activists like the late “Uncle” Bob Santos and Robert Maestas. Though inspired, Lew doesn’t want to be “a protestor who marches and gets arrested.” He does, however, want to change things his own way. “I’m a family guy, born and raised in Seattle, and I love Seattle.”

“My mission is not done, and I’m fighting until there’s a permanent solution to end lunch shaming and lunch debt once and for all.” As of June 8, all four of Lew’s campaigns are near to reaching its goals, raising a total of about $91,000. ■ Arlene can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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12

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

35 YEARS

■ WORLD NEWS

China ponders public morality after video of gruesome death

By GERRY SHIH ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING (AP) — A speeding taxi knocks the pedestrian off her feet, sending her hurtling through the air. Dozens of people stand gawking or walk past, as if the young woman sprawled in the busy intersection simply doesn’t exist. A full minute passes, and another speeding vehicle, this time an SUV, tramples the prone woman. Her unconscious body churns under its large wheels like a lumpen sack.

After a grainy video of a traffic accident in the city of Zhumadian surfaced on Chinese social media, the initial reaction was one of outrage directed at the more than 40 pedestrians and drivers who passed within meters of the woman, all failing to offer help.

But for many Chinese, the video was something more: a 94-second reminder of their society’s deep rot.

Even as China presents itself outwardly as a prosperous rising power, around kitchen tables and in private WeChat groups, Chinese citizens routinely grumble about a nation that’s gone bankrupt when it comes to two qualities: “suzhi,” or “personal character,” and “dixian,” literally “bottom line” — or a basic, inviolable sense of right and wrong.

Here, the common refrain goes, is an unmoored country where manufacturers

The woman was knocked to the ground by the taxi, which drove away without stopping.

About five pedestrians witnessed the accident, but none of them went to check the woman.

Another minute later, a silver SUV drove past the crossroad and ran over the woman.

knowingly sell toxic baby formula and fraudulent children’s vaccines. Restaurants cook with recycled “gutter oil” and grocery stores peddle fake eggs, fake fruit, even fake rice. Many Chinese say they avoid helping people on the street because of widespread stories about extortionists who seek help from passers-by and then feign injuries and demand compensation — perhaps explaining the Zhumadian behavior.

“It’s a problem with the entire country: Our moral bottom line has fallen so low,” Tian You, a novelist based in the southeastern city of Shenzhen, said by phone. “If I’m truly honest, I wonder, would I myself have dared to help the woman?”

After the Zhumadian video surfaced

garnering more than 5 million views in its first 24 hours before being censored, local police were forced to disclose that the incident took place weeks earlier, on April 21. The woman, surnamed Ma, died, while the two drivers who hit her were held under investigation, police said, without giving further details.

The news swept through social media and even state media outlets. The Communist Youth League, an influential party organization, circulated the video on its Weibo account, urging its 5 million followers to “reject indifference.” An opinion column on china.com, a state media organ, asked citizens to “reflect” on the tragedy. Others used the episode as a starting point to vent about social ills.

“Like the polluted haze facing our country, we see boundless corruption, left-behind children, medical disputes and so forth,” a columnist in the Chengdu Economic Daily wrote. “Have our society’s morals gotten better or worse in the last 10 years? What about our future, are you confident about that? Don’t ask me, because I’m not.”

Public concern about China’s morals crosses decades and age groups. Ever since China began its free market reforms in the 1980s, older citizens have frequently griped about moral decay and profess nostalgia about a more innocent socialist era, while younger, worldly Chinese wonder why fraud and fake products aren’t as rampant in other countries.

Chinese scholars say many issues that leave the middle class disillusioned are a result of lagging government regulation and the dislocating forces of swift development.

“In the West, law, faith and morality are a three-legged stool,” said Ma Ai, a sociologist at the China University of Political Science and Law. “Our legal system is catching up, but we don’t have religion and a new moral system has not established after China transformed away from a traditional, collectivist society.”

A debate flared following a similar case in 2011, when an unattended 2-year old was hit by a truck on a busy street in Guangdong province and laid in a pool of blood without any help from bystanders for seven minutes. She died later. In the following years, several cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, enacted Good Samaritan laws.

To be sure, examples of bystander apathy are ubiquitous, from the case of Kitty Genovese, the woman stabbed to death in daylight in a New York City

apartment complex in 1964, to last year in Chicago, where a man who was knocked unconscious in an assault was run over and killed by a taxi after a group of bystanders walked away from him.

In India, a video showed a man unsuccessfully pleading for help following a road accident that killed his wife and child in 2013. That same year, passers-by refused to stop to help a naked, bleeding gang-rape victim after she was dumped from a bus onto a New Delhi street. The 23-year-old student died of her injuries.

But the Chinese have been particularly self-critical on the matter.

In 2009, the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, ran a provocative story with a picture of a dog standing by another injured dog in a busy street and pondered whether humans would do the same. The report was headlined, “Do Chinese people lack compassion?”

A 2014 state media poll found that Chinese thought “lacking faith and ethics” was the No. 1 social problem, followed by “being a bystander or being selfish.”

Many in China’s intelligentsia reject the idea that an ancient strain of Chinese culture that focuses on the immediate family explains modern tragedies like Zhumadian. Confucius, after all, taught the Golden Rule. And Mencius, another revered philosopher, urged his disciples to love others’ children and respect others’ parents as one would their own.

More frequently heard are indictments of the Communist regime that has suppressed religion and traditional values and emphasized stability over justice.

Tian, the Shenzhen writer, cited the Cultural Revolution unleashed by Mao Zedong in the 1960s, which turned families and neighbors against each other in a battle for survival. Hyper-capitalistic, no-holdsbarred competition consumed the reform era that followed Mao’s death.

“Our political system doesn’t regulate the things it should and it manages things it shouldn’t,” said Zhang Wen, a well-known Beijing commentator who pointed out that many charitable organizations have disbanded due to government pressure, resulting in a decline of “charity spirit.”

In his own middle-class circle, Zhang said, many friends speak about feeling “emotionally withdrawn” in the pressurecooker economy.

“We’ve become individuals, alienated and doing whatever we can to get ahead,” he said. “There is no space left to care for others.” 

KING COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ADVERTISEMENT Proposals will be received for E00455E16, South and Central Transit Base Expansion Engineering Services Work Order; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 12:00 PM on June 26, 2017.

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King County, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

All solicitation documents are published at: https:// procurement.kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprocurement_ovr%2fdefault.aspx Contact: Esther Decker, 206-263-9323, esther. decker@kingcounty.gov

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

■ ASTROLOGY

13

Predictions and advice for the week of June 17–June 23, 2017

By Sun Lee Chang

Rat — Depending on who your audience is, it is important to note that humor doesn’t always translate well.

Dragon — Instead of waiting for the breaking point, it is better to speak up when an issue first catches your attention.

Monkey — When you are used to being in charge, it can be difficult to follow someone else’s lead.

However, there are instances when it is necessary.

Ox — While there is a minimum requirement, you know that doing a little extra can put you over the top in a good way.

Snake — Is holding on to an outdated idea holding you back? Shake free from it and allow yourself to embrace a new approach.

Rooster — Can’t find exactly what you are looking for? Perhaps expanding your search while widening your parameters will yield the desired result.

Tiger — If you change your mind too many times, certain options may no longer be available to you.

Horse — Keep track of what you need as you go, which is much easier than trying to remember it all at the end.

Dog — A differing perspective can be valuable to you if you are searching for solutions that are out of the ordinary.

Rabbit — Are you trying to match point for point?

Depending on the potential net gain, it could be in your interest to opt out.

Goat — The confidence and experience you gain from clearing the early hurdles should give you the strength needed for the final push.

Pig — Are you too close to an issue to see it for what it actually is? Try going away from it long enough to view it more objectively.

What’s your animal sign?

Rat 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 Ox 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 Tiger 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 Rabbit 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 Dragon 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 Snake 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Horse 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 Goat 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 Dog 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

TRAVEL BAN from 5 a one-person show,” the judges said. “The president’s authority is subject to certain statutory and constitutional restraints.”

It keeps in place a decision by U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii that he based largely on Trump’s campaign statements calling for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S. Watson ruled that the true purpose of the temporary ban on travel from six mostly Muslim nations was to discriminate against Islam — not to protect national security. That violated the Constitution’s prohibition on the government officially favoring or disfavoring any religion, he said.

The 9th Circuit judges said they didn’t need to reach the constitutional question because the travel ban violated immigration law, and thus wasn’t allowed.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia also ruled against the travel ban May 25, citing the president’s campaign statements as evidence that the 90-day ban is “steeped in animus and directed at a single religious group.” The administration has appealed that ruling to the

Supreme Court.

The high court is considering a request to reinstate the policy and could act before the justices wind up their work at the end of June.

The 9th Circuit heard arguments May 15 in an expedited appeal of the Hawaii case. Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall said the travel ban is well within the president’s broad authority to secure the nation’s borders, an assertion that drew skeptical questioning from the judges, all appointees of President Bill Clinton.

“How is a court to know if, in fact, it’s a Muslim ban in the guise of national security justification?” asked Judge Ronald Gould.

Neal Katyal, an attorney representing Hawaii, which sued to stop the ban, told the judges the policy could not be squared with U.S. immigration law, which bars nationalitybased discrimination in issuing immigration visas, or with the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on the government favoring or disfavoring any religion.

He too faced some difficult questioning, including queries on whether the lower-court decision was too broad.

Trump issued his initial travel ban on a Friday in late January, bringing chaos and protests to airports around

THANEDAR from 5

FOUR SEAS from 7

pharmaceutical developer — faltered in the Great Recession when biotech customers’ venture capital dried up.

“The important thing is that I bounced back,” said Thanedar, who worked as a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Michigan in the early 1980s after immigrating to the U.S. to get his Ph.D. in chemistry. “After all the heavy loss, at the age of 55, I started a company again. That didn’t keep me down. In the last six years, I have worked harder than ever in my life.”

He said he sold majority control of Avomeen for at least $20 million. He intends to solicit campaign donations.

“To the extent that I fall short, I will certainly put my own money into it,” Thanedar said.

The political novice is the sixth Democrat to file paperwork to run. Three — former legislative leader Gretchen Whitmer, former Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed and former Xerox executive Bill Cobbs — are actively campaigning. Prominent lawyer Mark Bernstein also may enter the race.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder cannot seek a third term due to term limits. Physician Jim Hines and state Sen. Patrick Colbeck are actively vying for the GOP nomination, and higher-profile Republicans such as Attorney General Bill Schuette and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley are expected to launch campaigns later this year.

Thanedar said he is running because Republicans in control of state government are too focused on “corporate welfare” and not “human capital.” He cited business tax cuts, right-to-work laws, Flint’s water crisis and other issues.

“I want to shift the balance in Lansing,” he said.

“Certainly we need some participation by the Democrats in a meaningful way. ... I know I’m an underdog. I know I look different. I know I speak different. I know I can make a difference.” ■

not terribly athletically gifted Chinese American kid from Beacon Hill. No oversized egos, no selfish motivations, no contract disputes or money issues. It was all about the kids in the stands, and making sure the young players (kids to them, too) developed and maximized their chances to go to “The Show.”

Looking back on it over the years, maybe these men had to compensate somehow for their loneliness. I’m sure they missed their children and families dearly, although in those days, the last thing that men were allowed to do is show that they had feelings.

The umpires regaled us with stories about which hot young

the country. A Seattle judge blocked its enforcement nationwide in response to a lawsuit by Washington state — a decision that was unanimously upheld by a different three-judge 9th Circuit panel.

The president then rewrote his executive order rather than appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court at that time. The new version, designed to better withstand legal scrutiny, named six countries instead of seven — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, with Iraq dropped — and spelled out more of a national security rationale.

It also listed some reasons that travelers from those nations might be granted waivers allowing them into the U.S. despite the policy.

Like the initial executive order, it also suspended the nation’s refugee program.

Several states and civil rights groups also challenged the revised ban, saying it remained rooted in discrimination and exceeded the president’s authority.

In March, the judge in Honolulu blocked the new version from taking effect, citing what he called “significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus” in Trump’s campaign statements. ■

prospect was fizzling and which was on the fast track to be called up to the Angels. So my dad told his baseball story, and about growing up in “Garlic Gulch.” In those days, the nearby working class neighborhood of Judkins Park was known as “Garlic Gulch” due to the large number of Italian and Chinese immigrants living there. It was definitely on “the wrong side of the tracks.” Living there had its benefits, however. The scent of simmering tomato sauce, garlic, and basil permeated the air, and many a Southern Italian immigrant family would invite my father in for red sauce and pasta. My father spent much of his adult life searching for restaurant red sauce as fine as that in the Garlic Gulch of his youth, but of course, he never did. My father

ran a bit wild in the streets with a large number of boys of all races, religions, and ages. He recalled that a much younger boy always wanted to hang out with them, and that they consistently had to tell him to get lost. The kid was so persistent that the older boys relented, and the kid was finally allowed to hang. Later, they heard that the kid became a pretty good baseball player at nearby Franklin High School and later for the Chicago Cubs. The umpires had heard of the kid. His name was Ron Santo, who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Happy Father’s Day, dad. We miss you. ■

HAVE A STORY IDEA THAT YOU THINK WOULD FIT PERFECTLY IN NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY? We want to know about it. Send it to us at info@nwasianweekly.com.

asianweekly northwest

14

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

REMY from 5 nothing more to say on the subject.

“I’ve got no comment on that. Really,” he said.

A popular Red Sox announcer since 1988, Remy also was a Boston infielder for seven seasons and is a member

35 YEARS

of the team’s Hall of Fame.

In 2013, Major League Baseball adopted a rule that permitted interpreters to join mound conferences.

Remy’s comments came the same day Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt said Philadelphia outfielder Odubel Herrera’s language barrier “would make

WANG from 5 said he has delusional disorder and paranoia.

O’Keefe ruled Wang incompetent in 2015 and ordered the forced medication to see if he could become competent to stand trial. Wang previously insisted he was competent and didn’t need medication. He represented himself in the case for

REAL ID from 3 scrambling to address this issue, concerned about the possibility of residents needing additional documentation sooner, based on a January 2018 deadline for flights that the federal government had sent for states not in compliance and without extensions.

Just 25 states and the District of Columbia are currently in compliance with the federal law, though most of the remaining

it difficult” for him to be a team leader. Herrera is from Venezuela and conducts his interviews with Englishspeaking media in Spanish, through a translator. ■

several years.

Wang’s public defenders appealed the forced medication order, saying it violated his constitutional rights to a fair trial and mental and physical bodily integrity. But the state Supreme Court upheld the ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. ■

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

states and territories have been granted various extensions.

Residents of states that are in compliance have until Oct. 21, 2020, before being required to show the REAL ID compliant identification.

Several other states passed bills addressing REAL ID this year, including Maine, Minnesota, Alaska, Montana and Missouri. ■

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asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

15

“Congratulations on 35 years! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been subscribing to the Northwest Asian Weekly for many years. Amazing coverage on international, national, and local issues, and spot on editorials. Thanks and here’s to another 35 years! No, 135 years!

— Dale Minami, Attorney at Law “We want to extend our heartiest congratulations to the Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post for empowering the Asian community for 35 years. The commitment to bringing vital news and issues to the public is a great service to us all! Many thanks for creating not one but two publications that enlighten and enrich the lives of our community. I can’t wait to see what the next decade brings! Kin On is grateful for your support all these years.”

— Sam Wan, Kin On CEO The only weekly English-edition newspaper serving the Asian community in the state of Washington for 35 years.

Send in your thoughts to editor@nwasianweekly.com.

Join us for our 35th Anniversary Celebration dinner on Oct. 21 at China Harbor restaurant. For tickets, please go to http://35nwawf.bpt.me, or email rsvp@ nwasianweekly.com, or call 206-223-0623. To sponsor the event, contact Assunta Ng at assunta@nwasianweekly.com. For more info, visit nwasianweekly.com/35years.

SCC from 1

Photo by James Tabafunda/NWAW

When asked about her thoughts about SCC being a place of belonging, Ezani said, “Here in Seattle Central, it being an open access institution, I was able to find a lot of other people who shared their stories. It’s easier to connect with them because they know the struggles of, the importance of family, the cultural pressures of being American, and being wherever you’re from.”

Emotions came forward when Khual, a former SCC student of Burmese descent now attending North Seattle College, described when he didn’t feel a sense of belonging on the SCC campus.

“I don’t see people that look like me.

From left: Hau Khual, Mandy Vu, and Safira Ezani.

the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

On June 7, SCC hosted the fifth in a series of open public meetings. Called “Community Conversations with the Southeast Asian Communities,” the event drew current and former SCC students, alumni, and community representatives of Southeast Asian descent.

SCC Interim Chief Diversity and Equity Officer Tina Young said, “We are really here to learn from our guests. We are hoping our guests will learn from us, too.”

Introduced by Young, SCC President Sheila Edwards Lange welcomed everyone for making time to talk about how the college can do better in engaging with the Southeast Asian community.

“One of the most important things that we can do in the next 50 [years] is staying connected to the community even though we changed our name,” she said. The city’s three community colleges dropped the word “community” from their names in 2014.

“That’s what’s going to propel us into the future, that’s what’s going to make sure that we stay connected to our vision of making sure that all of this prosperity that’s happening in Seattle, that everyone in Seattle gets access to it.”

She says 40 percent of SCC students continue their education by transferring to a four-year university or college.

“We have got to figure out how we can diversify our faculty, how we can partner more with the community to get students

here,” Edwards Lange said.

“We really want to hear how to partner with you all to get more students from your community here and on the pathway to either jobs or to transfer education.”

Crystina Mai Mostad, SCC student conduct officer, then conducted a real-time poll as an introduction to SCC for those who are not familiar with the college. The guests used their cellphones to send a text and join the poll. Their answers were instantly tabulated and shown on a giant screen.

The poll covered areas such as academic experience at SCC and its satellite campuses, which include the Wood Technology Center in the Central District and the Seattle Maritime Academy near the Ballard Bridge.

Mai Mostad said, “When we opened up (in July 1966), we fulfilled a huge unmet need for affordable education and career training.”

Forty-one percent of the guests identified word-of-mouth as the way they hear about SCC. The final question concerned the number one barrier to student success — 45 percent chose financial aid and funding.

Bo Leong, SCC completion coach in TRiO student support services, facilitated a student panel, featuring former SCC student and now University of Washington (UW) student Mandy Vu, Hau Khual, and Safira Ezani, a former SCC student and now UW accounting student of Malaysian descent.

When I see that, and I don’t feel like I’m being welcomed here,” he said. “When I talk to some people and they don’t really take me seriously because of my problem with my studying and that kind of stuff, and that really hurts my feelings.”

More public community meetings are planned for the future. ■ For more information about Seattle Central College, go to seattlecentral.edu.

James can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

asianweekly northwest

16

35 YEARS

JUNE 17 – JUNE 23, 2017

all dads from 1

Jae So and son, Brandon, 1.

Quan Wang with wife Kristina, son Daniel, 9 and daughter Calliana, 7.

Homan Leung with son, London, 14 months.

Sam Sim with daughter Aria, 2 (right) and son Aaron, 6 months.

Benjamin Kinsey with daughter Nahla, 3.

T homas Cheung with daughter, Ka Ching.

Robert Celski with grandkids Ethan, 1 (left) and Quinn, 2.

T hach Nguyen with Russell, 11 (left) and Hudson, 9.

Geoff (left) and Mavis Orr at a recent baby shower for a baby girl they are expecting.

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