PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 33 NO 32
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
FREE
PUBLISHER’S BLOG Summer foods » P. 10
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Methow Valley hoping weather helps crews fighting fires Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody guides effort in town
Soo Ing-Moody
By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly
Photo by Sue Misao
Authorities in Carlton complex, located in the north-central part of Washington in Okanogan County, are hoping that cooler weather assists their efforts in controlling fires that have burned about 400 square miles. The wild fires, the biggest in the state’s history, have been ongoing for the past two weeks and have destroyed about 300 homes. Of the areas that are affected by the fires is the town of Twisp, which is near Winthrop. The town’s mayor, {see TWISP cont’d on page 15}
Fire retardant being dropped near the town of Twisp
Asian American chosen to navigate missile destroyer By Zachariah Bryan Northwest Asian Weekly Growing up, 25-year-old Navy Lt.j.g. Han Sol Yi never imagined he would be the navigator of a destroyer, let alone the U.S. Navy Guided-missile destroyer USS Cole, one of the world’s most advanced warships. The Cole, based out of Norfolk, Va., has a place in history. On Oct. 12, 2000, al-Qaeda operatives attacked the Cole in a suicide bombing mission while it was anchored for refueling in Aden, Yemen. The attack ripped a 40-by-60-foot hole in the port side of the ship, near the crew’s dining and mess facility. Seventeen sailors lost their lives and another 37 sailors were injured during the attack. Yi understood the significance of the ship. “I feel very lucky that I get to serve on such a historic ship,” Yi said. “It’s put on a pedestal. A lot of eyes are on us and I can say I feel very proud to be a part of history.”
By Zachariah Bryan Northwest Asian Weekly
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy
{see USS COLE cont’d on page 13}
UW President will address recruiter position controversy
Lt. J.G. Han Sol Yi is the Navigation Officer aboard the Norfolk-based guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67).
When students and members of the Asian community learned that the University of Washington (UW) was discontinuing the Southeast Asian Student Recruiter position, they were in disbelief. “We found out very abruptly in November 2013. I was very shocked when it happened because finally Southeast Asians were getting a little more attention than before,” said {see UW RECRUITER cont’d on page 12}
The Inside Story NAMES People in the news » P. 2
■
COMMUNITY Alibaba to open an office in Seattle? » P. 3
A&E Guzheng in Seattle » P. 7
COMMENTARY Ask, don’t tell us who we are » P. 11
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
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Shen appointed by the White House
Team of five wins $5 million in video game tournament
Albert Shen has been appointed by the White House as the Deputy Director of Minority Business Development Agency, a division of the US Department of Commerce. Shen will be starting his new position on Aug. 18. Shen, a son of two Taiwanese immigrants, was born in Pullman, WA. He ran for Seattle City Council last year against Mike O’Brien Albert Shen and lost. Currently he owns an engineering firm in International District.
Ocean City Restaurant owners start real estate company
Ring Dash held in Tacoma
Team “Newbee”
The International, a video game tournament, was held in Seattle throughout this month with a team winning on July 21. The game, Dota 2, is an online strategy and action multiplayer game where two teams of five going against each other. The Valve Corporation, based in Bellevue developed the game and also hosted the event. Team Newbee consisting of Chen Zhihao, Zhang Pan, Zhang Ning, Wang Jiao, and Wang Zhaohui came out on top and are walking away with $5 million. The prize pool consisted of about $10.6 million with the rest of the money being awarded to runner ups.
Annual Kin On sports tournament raises $40K
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
supporters gathered to celebrate the success of the 7th Annual Kin On Sports Tournament. All three events (table tennis, soccer and badminton) brought in a combined total of close to $40K in support of Kin On’s Expansion Project which included a 2600 sq-ft multipurpose space for conducting exercise classes, health workshops, and other healthy aging activities. The funding will also support an assisted living facility and adult family home (with two types of affordable senior housing with amenities and services tailored to the residents’ needs) as well as a shortterm rehab wing and sun room.
From left: Wendy Leung, Marc Bridge (great grandson of Ben Bridge), Benson Limketkai
Ben Bridge’s jewelry sponsored Ring Dash came to Tacoma on July 19. The Ring Dash is a free text messagebased scavenger hunt and race. Participants were in teams of two, running around downtown Tacoma, finding clues which lead to the grand prize, a $13,000 diamond ring. The winners of Tacoma’s Ring Dash were Wendy Leung and Benson Limketkai.
Tim and Christine Lee at The Real Home Network grand opening.
Husband and wife, Tim and Christine Lee, owners and managers of Ocean City Restaurant, held a grand opening on July 12 for their new real estate company. The grand opening ceremony included lion and dragon dances. The company is located on 672 S Weller St. The company helps clients buy and sell both commercial and residential properties, as well as leasing properties.
(Above) Left to Right: Table Tennis Committee members, Raymond Tse, Fred Yee, and Any Lo with Advanced Singles Division Winners: Wen Bin Huang (first place), Raymond Lock (seond place), Ed Suen (third place) and Shan Yuen (fourth place)
Over 400 participants, friends and family and community
Send your exciting news to editor@nwasianweekly.c om.
Amazing Women Mentors Volunteering as a way of life
Friday, September 19, 2014 • 11:30 a.m.—1:30 p.m. • China Harbor Restaurant • 2040 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle
Honorees
CO-CHAIRS: Charlene Grinolds and Gladys Romero
Carole Carmichael
Deborah Guerrero
Assistant Manager Editor The Seattle Times
Social Worker Muckleshoot Child & Family Services
Estela Ortega
Hazel Cameron
Associate Director El Centro de la Raza
Executive Director 4C Coalition
Deborah Lee
Program Director Nisqually Tribe Head Start
Isabelle Gonn
Administrative Manager Nordstrom Technology
Diane Ferguson Director InterIm
Kirstan Arestad
Director Seattle City Council’s Central Staff
PLANNING COMMITTEE: Elizabeth Younger, Kiku Hayashi, Bonnie Miller, Connie Sugahara, Diane Martin, Francine Griggs, Kathy Purcell, Leny Valerio-Buford, Winona Holins-Hauge, Assunta Ng, Shoko Toyama, Rosa Melendez, Jaime Sun, Sonia Doughty, and Carol Cheung RESERVATIONS FOR LUNCHEON: Discounted price of $35 if purchased by September 15. Full price of $45 after September 15. Walk-ins $50. Student price of $25 with I.D. before September 15; $30 after September 15; student walk-ins $35. No tickets will be mailed; confirmation is by e-mail only. $350 for a table. To sponsor the event including logo online and print and table is $1,000. (For details, visit womenofcolorempowered.com). Men are welcome! To purchase tickets, call us at 206-223-0623, or email rsvp@nwasianweekly.com. For more information, visit womenofcolorempowered.com.
Name: ___________________________________________________
Lillian Hayashi
Lourdes Salazar
Volunteer Program Coordinator City of Bellevue
Patricia Lally
Director Seattle Office for Civil Rights
Regina Glenn
Vice President Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Address: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________________________________ Fax: _____________________________________________________ Email: ___________________________________________________ Organization: _____________________________________________ Title (if applicable): _________________________________________ Name of guests: ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Mastercard
Bonnie Glenn Director DSHS
Grace Kim
Architect Schemata Workshop Inc.
Luz Iniguez
Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program University of Washington
check
us out!
Visa
Card no.: _________________________________________________ Exp. date: ____________ Signature: ___________________________
To reserve your space, fax this form to 206-223-0626 or email to rsvp@ nwasianweekly.com or mail the form along with check to: Women of Color Empowered, P.O. Box 3468, Seattle, WA 98114.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ community news
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
3
Alibaba to open office in area soon? Chinese e-commerce giant could make Seattle its second US office
By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly All indications point to Chinese tech giant, Alibaba, setting up an office in the area. Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce and technology company, is recruiting for jobs in the Seattle area. This has led many to conclude that an office for the company will not be far behind. Alibaba is set to go public with a much-anticipated Initial Public Offering (IPO) in September. The company specializes in Internet-based e-commerce, including online and mobile marketplaces, retail, and wholesale trade, as well as cloud computing services according to its website. Alibaba has been described as Amazon.com, eBay, Google, and PayPal of China all wrapped into one. Recent job listings have openings for mobile engineering positions for the company, giving employees the ability to be based in the Seattle region or in Alibaba’s home region in Hangzhou, China per industry news site Geekwire. Although the company has yet to make an official announcement, the job listings leads many to believe that the company will soon announce plans for an office in the Pacific Northwest. An event in Bellevue earlier this year sponsored by Alibaba drew a packed house. Although the night in which
Put down that phone! Report shows Asian Americans use smartphones more than others By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Whether it’s an iPhone or Android phone, Asian Americans are very comfortable using their smartphones. A recent Nielsen report states that 81 percent of Asian Americans have smartphones compared to 70 percent of the general public. The report also states that Asian Americans watch 19 percent more videos on smartphones per month than the average person. A new mobile measurement tool devised by Neilsen enables TV stations to accurately and effectively measure Asian Americans’ viewing habits. An independent, fullpowered station in the San FranciscoOakland area has launched its local TV App, which will be able to measure the habits of its Asian American viewership. The research and insight should assist the station in targeting advertising. According to a Nielsen survey in 2012, many Asians arrive from countries with a higher use of digital technology where mobile devices have surpassed traditional landlines and desktop computers. Asian Americans lead in high-speed internet access and in mobile connectivity through cell phones, laptops, and wireless networks in the United States. The data suggests that Asian Americans utilize more phone apps, as well as use their phones to access social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Based on the information, it reveals that Asian Americans use their phones for more than just calling home or texting a friend. Jason Cruz can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
Wang Jian
company executives spoke with the local tech community was not an official recruiting event, it did gauge the level of interest it had with the tech region. In an interview with Geekwire, the company’s chief technology officer, Wang Jian, indicated that having presence in the Seattle region “might make sense.” The headquarters are located in the Xixi District of Hangzhou, China. According to the company website, it maintains 73
offices in mainland China and 16 offices outside mainland China. If a Seattle area office is established, it would be the second office in the United States, which would further expose the company to the tech industry in the country. It currently has an engineering office in the Silicon Valley. As of March 2014, it employs more than 22,000 people around the world. The company, founded in 1999, is spearheaded by entrepreneur Jack Ma. In 1995, Ma created what is believed to be China’s first Internet-based company, the China Yellowpages. Alibaba currently serves more than 79 million members from more than 240 countries and territories. The name Alibaba was chosen by Ma, as it brings to mind the term “open sesame” which the company relates to the company’s platforms opening doorways to fortune for small businesses. The term comes from the folk tale, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” in which the main character learns of the phrase which opens a den of riches. The company’s latest filings value Alibaba at $130 billion. With the company going public in September, the value of the company could shoot up as it is being touted as the biggest tech IPO in history. Jason Cruz can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
Chinese Valentine Party Meet someone at the Seattle Public Library!
There will be a free social skills workshop and dance in celebration of Chinese Valentine Party from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Central Library, 1000 4th Ave., Level 4, in the Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1. The workshop will focus on connection with people and improving interpersonal communication skills. There will be a brief presentation on the origins of Chinese Valentine’s Day, and afterwards there will be a dance which will include a playlist of Asian pop music. Double Seventh Festival — Chinese Valentine’s Day, also known as “Qixi” or “Qiqiao” evolved from an ancient love story in Chinese folklore. It traditionally takes place on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Nonie Xue, program coordinator and Chinese language librarian
hopes that the event will provide a platform for library patrons to “meet new people, learn some skills from the workshop and have a great time together.” This event is presented in partnership with the North America China Council. Refreshments and a light meal will be provided. The program is free and open to the public. Schedule of events: 4—to 4:30 p.m. - Check in 4:30—6 p.m. - Introductions, icebreakers and refreshments 6 —6:30 p.m. - Social skills workshop 6:30—8 p.m. - Dance For more information, call World Languages at the Seattle Public Library: 206-684-0849.
asianweekly northwest
4
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
■ WORLD news
Taiwan plane survivor crawls out, phones dad
XIXI, Taiwan (AP) The 10 survivors of Taiwan’s worst air disaster in more than a decade include a 34-year-old woman who called her father after scrambling from the wreckage and seeking help at a nearby home. Hung Yu-ting escaped through a hole in the fuselage that opened up after the plane plowed into homes Wednesday while attempting to land on the outlying resort island of Penghu, killing 48 people. She used the phone at the nearby house to call her father. “She called me on the phone to say the plane had crashed and exploded, but that she had already crawled out and I should come right away to get her,” said Hung’s father, Hung Chang-ming, who lives just a few hundred meters (yards) from the crash site. Hung rushed to the scene, but his daughter had already been taken away by rescuers.
Photo by Wally Santana
By Johnson Lai and Christopher Bodeen The Associated Press
Workers watch as an engine is lifted from the TransAsia Airways Flight GE222 crash site on the outlying Taiwan island of Penghu on Friday.
“When I was halfway there, the fire was still really big, but it was smaller when I arrived on
the scene,” Hung told reporters. “There were two other injured outside and the first ambulance
China braces for 2nd typhoon; Taiwan drenched
had already taken away three, including my daughter.” Hung Chang-ming joined res-
cuers and other residents in putting out the fire and rescuing other survivors before going to the hospital to check on his daughter. Hung Yu-ting was recovering Friday from burns to her arms, legs, and back suffered during her escape. The condition of the other survivors wasn’t immediately known. Other relatives weren’t so lucky, some recalling the last phone conversations with their loved ones. Shu Chi-tse said he had spoken to his son, Shu Chong-tai, just before the flight left the southern city of Kaohsiung on Taiwan’s main island for the short ride west across the Taiwan Strait. “He is a good boy. He cares for me and his mom. He loves his grandma a lot,” Shu said. Among the dead were all four members of the flight crew, a family of six, and a family of four. They included several children, among them 9-year-old Ho Po-yu, {see PLANE CRASH cont’d on page 15}
Filipino protesters denounce China’s “bullying”
China braces for a second typhoon.
AP Wire Service BEIJING (AP) — China was bracing Wednesday for the arrival of a second typhoon in less than a week, as communities along the country’s southern coast cleared away debris in the wake of the earlier storm, which killed dozens of people. The country’s national meteorological center said Wednesday afternoon that Typhoon Matmo, with gusts of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour, was traveling northeast in coastal waters off the heavily populated province of Fujian. Authorities in eastern Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, ordered fishing boats to return to port and stepped up patrols to watch for breaks in coastal and river embankments, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The typhoon weakened after dumping heavy rain overnight on Taiwan, where it injured five people and knocked out power to 31,505 homes, according to the island’s Central News Agency.
The center of the typhoon was forecast to turn north after hitting land and pass over areas west of Shanghai, China’s biggest business center, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Rains of up to 300 millimeters (12 inches) were forecast in Shanghai and areas as far north as Jiangsu province, Xinhua said, citing the country’s weather agency. Farther south on the mainland, communities in Guangdong province and on Hainan Island were clearing away debris left by Typhoon Rammasun, which killed 56 people in China and 161 in total as it rampaged across the Philippines, China, and Vietnam last week. Another 20 people were missing in China, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Rammasun became the strongest typhoon to hit China in four decades, destroying tens of thousands of homes, damaging roads and ports, and cutting electricity and water supplies in southern Chinese cities. It packed winds of up to 216 kph (130 mph), according to the China Meteorological Administration.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — About 100 Filipinos carrying mock missiles marched Thursday to the Chinese consulate in Manila to protest China’s actions in asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Carrying placards that read “Our Soil, Our Oil” and carton missiles stamped “From Philippines with Love,” the activists said similar protests were being held in front of Chinese embassies and consulates abroad. “This protest rally is just the start of something much bigger, not only in the Philippines but worldwide, in order to tell the world what is happening in our backyard — the bullying that’s being done by our big neighbor,” said former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez,
one of the rally leaders. Former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III criticized China’s “belligerent and blatant disregard of international laws” and urged Beijing “to respect the rule of law and be a good neighbor.” The Philippines and Vietnam are embroiled in territorial rows with China over the South China Sea, where China claims most of the heavily traveled waterway and barren islands, reefs, and atolls that are believed to be atop oil and natural gas deposits. Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan also have claims in the area. The Philippines is asking an international tribunal to decide the legality of China’s massive territorial claims quickly as the disputes continue to escalate.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ business
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
5
China investigating Microsoft in monopoly case By Joe McDonald AP Business Writer
BEIJING (AP) — China’s anti-monopoly agency announced an investigation Tuesday of Microsoft Corp., stepping up regulatory pressure on foreign technology companies. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce said it opened a case in June after complaints Microsoft improperly failed to publish all documentation for its Windows operating system and Office software. It said investigators visited Microsoft’s China headquarters in Beijing and branches in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu in southwestern China this week. “The administration believes the previous investigation cannot eliminate that Microsoft engaged in monopolistic behavior,” the agency said on its website. “The administration has launched an investigation of Microsoft’s monopolistic behavior.” Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Foreign technology suppliers face growing pressure from Chinese regulators, who have launched anti-monopoly investigations and announced plans to examine products for security flaws. China relies heavily on foreign software and communications technology. Communist leaders have expressed frus-
tration about the high cost of foreign know-how and have invested billions of dollars to develop their own phone, encryption, software and other technology industries. Chinese state media have stepped up criticism of foreign technology companies following disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about their possible cooperation with U.S. government surveillance. In a separate case, state media said last week regulators have concluded Qualcomm Inc., a San Diego, Californiabased maker of chip sets for mobile phones, has a monopoly. The reports gave no indication what penalties or demands for changes in its business practices might be demanded. Regulators said earlier they were investigating whether Qualcomm abused its dominant market position by charging excessive fees for technology. They announced a similar investigation at the same time of InterDigital Inc., in Wilmington, Delaware, but the results have not been announced. Also this month, Apple Inc. denied allegations reported by state television that the location function on its iPhone might be a national security threat because it could allow access to confidential information. The company said it respected customers’ privacy and denied working with government intelligence services to create such “back door” access. Managers of foreign technology companies complain regulators improperly use investigations and other administra-
tive actions to hamper their operations and support domestic competitors. Beijing has tried to compel foreign suppliers to disclose how encryption and other security technology work but backed down after complaints by the United States and other trading partners. The government also is stepping up scrutiny of foreign companies and has cited its 2008 anti-monopoly law in ordering changes to acquisitions or business practices. In June, the world’s three biggest container shipping operators—Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. SA and CMA CGM of France-scrapped a plan to create an alliance after Chinese market regulators objected. Last August, five foreign milk suppliers and one in Hong Kong were fined a total of $108 million by anti-monopoly regulators on charges of price-fixing. The government tries to support China’s fledgling suppliers by favoring them in procurement. Banks and major companies were ordered in 2010 to limit use of foreign security technology. In May, the government announced it would examine imported technology for security flaws and ban products that fail. That came after U.S. authorities announced the indictment of five Chinese military officers accused of conducting cyber hacking of American companies.
■ WORLD NEWS
Ex-security czar Zhou under investigation By Gillian Wong Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party announced an investigation into a feared ex-security chief on Tuesday, demonstrating President Xi Jinping’s firm grip on power and breaking a longstanding taboo against publicly targeting the country’s topmost leaders. The party’s anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said on its website that it is investigating Zhou Yongkang, 71, for serious violations of party discipline, but gave no details. Such an announcement
typically paves the way for the official to be ousted from the party and face prosecution. If he goes to trial, Zhou would be the highest-level official to be prosecuted since the 1981 treason trial of Mao Zedong’s wife and other members of the “Gang of Four,” who mercilessly persecuted political opponents during the chaotic 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Until his retirement in 2012, the square-jawed, granitefaced Zhou was one of nine leaders in the party’s ruling inner circle—the Politburo Standing Committee—whose {see ZHOU cont’d on page 12}
Zhou Yongkang
■ national news
New charge in San Francisco Chinatown case
AP Wire Service SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California state senator charged in a sweeping organized crime and public corruption case centered in San Francisco’s Chinatown faced a new charge Friday of racketeering. A federal grand jury filed the additional charge against Leland Yee, accusing him of taking bribes in exchange for votes in favor of several legislative bills. Also charged with racketeering was Raymond Chow. The grand jury called a Chinese-American association that Chow headed, the Ghee Kung Tong, a racketeering enterprise. Chow previously pleaded not guilty to money laundering and other charges.
Yee also is accused of accepting bribes and attempting to connect an undercover FBI agent with an arms dealer in exchange for cash. He has pleaded not guilty. A call to Yee’s attorney for comment on the additional charge was not immediately returned. Yee was arrested along with 19 others in March during raids throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The arrests were the culmination of an FBI investigation started in 2006, after Chow left prison and was elected “dragonhead” of the Ghee Kung Tong. The FBI says undercover agents laundered $2.6 million in cash purportedly garnered through illegal bookmaking through the organization.
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
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR FRI 8/1 WHAT: ACT Theatre & Wing Luke team up for a postplay discussion following a performance of “Hold These Truths” WHERE: Wing Luke, 719 S. King St., Seattle TICKETS: ACT Theatre WHAT: Chinese-American Author Jennifer Chow coming to Seattle WHERE: Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E., Seattle WHEN: 7-8:30 p.m. INFO: 925-451-6527, eric. chang@tap-seattle.org WHAT: “Stories & Culture: Literature Affects How We and Others Think About Us,” speaker event with Chinese-American author Jennifer Chow WHERE: Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E., Seattle WHEN: 7-8:30 p.m. INFO: www.facebook.com/ events/789508951068999
FRI 8/1, SAT 8/2 & SUN 8/3 WHAT: Lakewood 2014 Asian Film Fest WHERE: Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd. S.W., Lakewood WHEN: 8/1 & 8/2 at 7 p.m.; 8/3
at 2 p.m. INFO: 253-588-0042, lakewoodplayhouse.org
SAT 8/2 WHAT: Chinese Valentine’s Day WHERE: Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave., Level 4, Seattle WHEN: 4-8 p.m. INFO: 206-684-0849 WHAT: Korean Traditional Hanji Paper Fashion Show WHERE: Museum of Glass, 801 Dock St., Tacoma WHEN: 7-9 p.m. COST: $49/individual, $44/ members & students TICKETS: asiapacificculturalcenter.org INFO: 253-383-3900, asiapacificculturalcenter.org WHAT: Tacoma Bon Odori WHERE: Tacoma Buddhist Temple, 1717 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma WHEN: 5-9 p.m. INFO: www.tacomabt.org WHAT: Sumi Landscapes WHERE: SAM, 1400 E. Prospect St., Seattle WHEN: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
MON 8/4 WHAT: Demystification of the Asian Development Bank
WHERE: K&L Gates LLP, 925 Fourth Ave. Ste. 2900, Seattle WHEN: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. COST: $65/person, $85/at the door INFO: www.klgates.com WHAT: AAJA Seattle presents Chefs’ Showcase WHERE: Columbia Tower Club, 701 Fifth Ave., Seattle WHEN: 6-8 p.m. INFO: aajaseattle.org/ chefsshowcase
WED 8/6 WHAT: “From Hiroshima to Hope” lantern floating ceremony WHERE: Green Lake, Seattle WHEN: 6-9 p.m. INFO: fromhiroshimatohope.org
FRI 8/8 WHAT: Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber Luncheon: Business Opportunities in Washington panel with Jerry Lee, Suzanne Dale Estey, and Kelly Ogilvie WHERE: Sun Ya Restaurant, 605 7th Ave. S., Seattle WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. INFO: seattlechinesechamber. org
SUN 8/10 WHAT: Wandering and
■ AT THE MOVIES
Lakewood Asian Film Festival aims to entertain, educate, and engage
An interview with festival organizer Phil Raschke
The second annual Lakewood Asian Film Festival, free to all, takes place August 1st through August 3rd at the Lakewood Playhouse, located at 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd. in Lakewood. Festival organizer Phil Raschke answered some questions over e-mail.
NWAW: How did the Lakewood Fes-
THU 8/14 WHAT: IDEA Space’s Open House WHERE: 409 Maynard Ave. S., Ste. P8 WHEN: 4-7 p.m. INFO: ideaspace@scidpda.org
SUN 8/22 THRU TUE 8/24 WHAT: 40th Anniversary CancerLifeline’s Flea Market WHERE: Dorothy O’Brien Center, 6522 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle WHEN: 2-5 p.m. INFO: 206-832-1273, jlamont@ cancerlifeline.org
SAT 8/23 & SUN 8/24 WHAT: Seattle Center Festál – Tibet Fest WHERE: Seattle Center Armory WHEN: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. COST: Free INFO: washingtontibet or 206684-7200
SUN 8/24 WHAT: Celebrate Little Saigon WHERE: 1200 S. Jackson St., Seattle WHEN: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. INFO: friendsoflittlesaigon@ gmail.com
EVERY TUE, WED & THU WHAT: After School tutoring for Vietnamese students 6-14, conversational ESL classes, and computer classes. WHERE: Helping Link, 1032 S. Jackson St. #C, Seattle WHEN: 3-6 p.m. INFO: 206-568-5160, helpinglinkadmin@gmail.com
EVERY THU WHAT: The Rotary Club of Seattle International District meets WHERE: New Hong Kong Restaurant, 900 S. Jackson St., Seattle WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. WHAT: Japanese Conversation Club WHERE: JCCCW, 1414 S. Weller St., Seattle INFO: 206-568-7114, admin@ jcccw.org
Lakewood Asian Film Festival Schedule Friday, August 1 — “Kahaani” (India, color, 150 minutes, 2012, (PG-13): A murder mystery starts with a poison gas attack on the Kolkata Metro Rail and continues two years later when a pregnant software engineer arrives in Kolkata (Calcutta) from London in search of her missing husband. Beautifully filmed in Kolkata during the festival of Durga Puja, the film stars Vidya Balan, who won the “Best Actress Award” for her fantastic portrayal of the determined wife. It is a non-stop action “where every truth is a lie.” This award winning international box office hit is a must see! Pre-Show Entertainment: The fabulous Chang Hee Suk Drum Group, 7 p.m. Film “Kahaani” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 2 —“To Live” (China, color, 132 minutes, 1998, PG-13): This spellbinding masterpiece begins in the 1940s when a rich man’s son gambles away the family fortune and reduces the entire family to peasantry. Over the next 40 years, the family experiences life and death during the Chinese Civil War, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. But through each hardship, the family manages “to live” and believes that life will get better. The film stars box office sensation Gong Li. Some consider this film a Chinese “Gone with the Wind” and happens to be Clint Eastwood’s favorite film at the Cannes Film Festival. This film is also a Golden Globe nominee for “Best Foreign Film.” Pre-Show Entertainment: The fabulous Chang Hee Suk Drum Group, 7 p.m. Film “To Live” 7:30 p.m.
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly
NWAW: When did you arrive here from Seattle and from where, and what are your strongest impressions of the city? Raschke: I grew up in Whittier, Calif., close to Los Angeles, and attended undergraduate school at Pepperdine University. I arrived in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1970s when I was assigned as an Air-Sea Rescue Pilot at the Coast Guard Air Station in Port Angeles. Being able to live and fly around the San Juan Islands, Olympic National Park, and the Washington coast convinced me that the Northwest would be a fabulous place to live. I returned to the Northwest in 1981 and retired my flying suit in 1984.
Wondering WHERE: Seattle Japanese Garden, 1075 Lake Washington Blvd. E., Seattle WHEN: 2-5 p.m. INFO: www. seattlejapanesegarden.org, 206684-4725
“All We Could Carry”
tival come into being? Who were the founders, and how did they get together? Raschke: I am a founding member of the Lakewood Arts Commission and the annual Master of Ceremonies for the Lakewood Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. A former member of the Arts Commission was interested in trying to create a film festival. One day, I just approached the Arts Commission and volunteered to take on the creation of an annual Asian Film Fest to help promote an underserved segment of the community. {see FILM FESTIVAL cont’d on page 15}
Sunday, August 3 — Special Showing of “All We Could Carry” documentary, (USA, color, 15 minutes, 2011, (G): In 1942, 14,000 men, women, and children of Japanese descent were ordered to leave their jobs, schools, and homes. They were to proceed to the Heart Mountain “Relocation Camp” near Cody, Wyo. They were only allowed to take with them what they could carry. In this historically moving film, 12 men and women, who endured three and a half years behind the barbed wire at Heart Mountain, vividly relate their story of fractured families, denied dignity, isolation, and love. The documentary is directed by Academy Award winner Steven Okazaki. Pre-Show Entertainment: The exciting Okinawa Taiko Performers, 2 p.m. “All We Could Carry” 2:30, Main Feature (below) 3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 3 —“The Front Line” (Korea, color, 133 minutes, 2011, PG-13): Near the end of the Korean War, a ceasefire is ordered, but a South Korean crack army unit is ordered to capture a strategic hill before the ceasefire takes place. When the unit commander is found dead with bullets from a South Korean weapon, a 20-year-old captain now leads the unit. Men in the unit wears North Korean uniforms under their own uniforms. Hold on to your seat, the ceasefire is near, the attack begins! Film stars Shin Ha-Kyun and Ko Soo. The film is the winner of 2011 Critics Choice “Best Film,” “Best Director,” and “Best Cinematography” awards.Pre-Show Entertainment: The exciting Okinawa Taiko Performers, 2 p.m. “All We Could Carry” 2:30, ”The Front Line” 3 p.m.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
7
Guzheng in Seattle: A Chinese Harp Cures Homesickness YanFen Wang just moved from Shanghai, where she studied a Chinese classical harp called the guzheng. She says, “Sometimes, when the room is silent, and all you hear is the guzheng, your heart will fill with joy, but other times your heart will be broken. The music is really beautiful.” YanFen was excited about her husband’s transfer to Seattle, but she feared she would have to quit taking music lessons with her daughter. She says, “My friends said, ‘You can find a teacher in Seattle, but that teacher is not going to be very good.’” With any big move, changes in language, food and culture cause feelings of loss and homesickness. So, despite her friends’ warnings, YanFen sought out a new guzheng instructor. She says, “I called the phone number and the teacher replied immediately. We decided to see if the teacher was good, so we went to Issaquah to meet her.” That is when she encountered Shirley Wang, a master of the guzheng. A true master, Shirley Wang began studying guzheng in Mongolia at the age of six and moved to Beijing to earn an undergraduate
degree at the Central Conservatory of Music and a graduate degree at the China Conservatory of Music. She taught guzheng for seven years, three of which were at the British School in Beijing. Then, she met and fell in love with her boyfriend, who asked her to visit Seattle to see if she liked it in 2010. “When he was in Beijing, he was more quiet and followed me around, but when I visited Seattle he was more like a host,” says Shirley. “I liked his family and the city and the people were friendly. He applied for a fiancé visa, so I had 90 days to make a decision, but I decided he was Mr. Right.” Shirley’s parents were concerned but they respected her decision. Still, moving to a foreign country is difficult. She says, “Sometimes I miss home and family, but now we have Skype and FaceTime. So, every other day I can video chat with my parents.” Since moving to Seattle in 2011, Shirley Wang has performed for three consecutive years at Microsoft CHIME (Chinese New Year Celebration), as well as The Bellevue Collection, Westminster Chapel, and many smaller engagements. “Shirley … plays with her heart. Her music expresses her calm, radiant presence, so anyone
listening can feel soft, soothing and uplifting energy,” says Sandy Marvinney, Communications Chair and member of the Board of Directors of the Seattle Chinese Garden. “When she played in the Seattle Chinese Garden last June… everyone was mesmerized.” This year, the guzheng recital in the Seattle Chinese Garden also included a tai chi demonstration and Chinese painting. Shirley Wang says that the same moving meditation and breathing techniques used in tai chi are also employed in Chinese painting and the guzheng. “Every time we play a song …when you start and when you end you take a deep breath,” says Shirley, as she moves her hands up and down in slow, graceful movements. Marvinney says, “We are so fortunate that Shirley is teaching in our region…It has been the most popular instrument in Chinese culture since ancient times, so it is important to keep this traditional music alive and share it with the wider community in Seattle. People of all backgrounds enjoy music and gardens, and both open windows to learn about and {see HARP cont’d on page 12}
Photo by Laura Ohata/NWAW
By Laura Ohata Northwest Asian Weekly
Shirley Wang
asianweekly northwest
8
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Deco-dense By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Xiaojin Wu, curator at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, shows me a Japanese piece that’s been first lacquered, then carved. The artist, she explains, put several layers of lacquer on first, then slowly, steadily, and taking great care for symmetry, carved the Art Deco designs into the lacquer. Many pieces in the “Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945” exhibit, showing at the museum through October 19th, display similar levels of attention to detail, although some items are mass-produced. And this particular aspect of Japanese art hasn’t been much seen in the West, until now. Almost all of the pieces in the exhibit come from Robert and Mary Levenson, a couple from Clearwater, Fla., whose interest in all things Japanese spans several decades. The original curator is Kendall H. Brown, professor of art at California State University, Long Beach. The exhibit visited several other cities before arriving here, but this is its only West Coast stop. Art Deco originated in the 1920s in Europe, emphasizing sleek lines, bright colors, and symmetry. The ties to Futurism were strong, with optimism about the Machine Age and the salvations it promised. In Japan, Deco was taken up after the Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which leveled both Tokyo and Yokohama. Artists and designers, seeking solace and a way forward after the disaster, latched onto the emerging movement, and some of the optimism it carried with it, to portray their new world. The changing role of women in society also folded into Art Deco in Japan. Cafes, bars, and dance halls flourished during this period, allowing women to appear more flamboyant, independent, and stylish in public, than previously. The illustrator, Takabatake Kashō, compiled a list of “Ten Qualifications for Being a Moga (Modern Girl)” in 1929. These included “Conspicuous consumption of Western food and drink,” “Real or feigned interest in
Kirin Ornaments (Kirin okimono), ca. 1930, Sakaida Kakiemon XII, Japanese, 1878-1963, porcelain with transparent glaze, 13 x 12 1/2 x 7 3/4 in.
under an Art Deco roof, the Asian Art Museum’s building, designed by Carl F. Gould. It opened for business in 1933, while Deco was still the rage in Japan, although the movement eventually lost steam to rising nationalism and rejection of Western ways. The building’s been waiting 80 years for its overseas compatriots to pay a visit. It’s a satisfying meeting. For more information about the seattleartmuseum.org/exhibitions/deco.
Songbook for “Song of the Milky Way” (Ginga no uta) from the film Milky Way (GINGA), 1931, printed by Noguchi Tsurukichi, published by Shochiku kinema gakufu shuppansha, color lithograph, inks and color on paper, 10 7/16 x 7 1/2 in.
dancehalls as a way to show off one’s ostensible decadence to mobo (modern boys),” and “Offering one’s lips to any man who is useful, even if he is bald or ugly, but keeping one’s chastity because ‘infringement of chastity’ lawsuits are out of style.” And finally, as Ms. Wu points out, the exhibit itself sits
exhibit,
visit
Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
Art deco — a style of decorative art developed originally in the 1920s with a revival in the 1960s, marked chiefly by geometric motifs, curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, often bold colors, and the use of synthetic materials, as plastics.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
9
Bellevue Festival of Arts celebrates 30th anniversary Photos by Laura Ohata/NWAW
Waka Ozawa makes purses out of vintage kimonos
Cindy Ayala reuses natural textiles to make intricate scarves and jackets
Marc Matsu has been making ceramics in the Seattle area for 40 years
By Laura Ohata Northwest Asian Weekly The Bellevue Festival of the Arts celebrated its 30th anniversary last weekend. The juried event featured 200 craftspeople, and a great number of wares were phenomenally beautiful. Most of these objets d’art were priced between $50 and $150, low enough to inspire impulse buys even in the most frugal shoppers.
Hung Nguyen is a watercolor painter in the Seattle area
The Craft Cooperative of the Northwest hosts the Bellevue Festival of the Arts in conjunction with BAM ARTSfair and Bellevue’s 6th Street Fair. These three festivals combine once a year to form the Bellevue Arts Festival Weekend. The event plays host to 630 different artists in outdoor booths downtown. Ann Sutherland, the festival coordinator, says, “The lighting is beautiful at this time of the year. It’s so special to see the artists
Portraying a pivotal historical period: Jennifer Chow discusses her novel “The 288 Legacy” By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly
Jennifer J. Chow
Jennifer J. Chow, author of the novel “The 288 Legacy,” appears in Seattle on August 1st at the Miller Community Center, sponsored by the Seattle Taiwan American Professionals. She’ll speak on “Stories & Culture: Literature Affects How We and Others Think About Us.” She answered some questions over e-mail. NWAW: Where were you born, where did you grow up, and what are your most
important memories of growing up Chow: I was born and raised in Fresno, Calif. I enjoyed creative play as a kid and would often make up imaginary escapades involving my adventurer backpack. The library was my favorite fun destination because I could enter all sorts of worlds via books. NWAW: All through school, who were your most important teachers, and why? Chow: Of course, I loved all my English teachers. I was particularly fond of my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Okada, who exposed me to different forms of poetry, including diamante and haiku. In high school, I admired my biology teacher, Mr. Ratcliffe, because he taught with passion and in innovative ways, making sure students enjoyed the process of learning. NWAW: Is there any one writer without whom you would not have become a writer? Chow: I’ve always wanted to write, ever since I escaped into books as a child. I think I have too many favorite authors to list, but some of them can be found on my website, www.jenniferjchow.com, under the FAQ section. I must say, though, that {see CHOW cont’d on page 14}
Virginia Jurasevich dyes silk using Japanese shibori techniques
who make the art right there.” According to Sutherland, most of the craftspeople hail from Washington, Oregon, and California, but quite a few came from as far away as Florida. A family-friendly event, the festival draws roughly 75,000 visitors to browse a variety of media, including watercolor, wood, textiles, sculpture, photography, metal, jewelry, glass, ceramics, acrylic and oil painting, and mixed media. This year,
we interviewed a handful of our favorite vendors.
Linda Heisserman Pottery
Linda Heisserman specializes in celadon, a pale blue-green glaze characterized by cracks. Initially developed nearly 2,000 years ago in China, celadon spread throughout Asia, where it is considered {see BAM cont’d on page 16}
All sale lasts from Friday 8/1 to Thursday 8/7
1221 S. King St., Seattle ∙ 206-720-0969 Monday—Sunday: 8:30 a.m.—8 p.m. lamsseafood.com Yeo’s Soy Bean Milk $0.69/can Lychee $1.99/lb
$1.59 lb
Fuji apple #1 $1.29/lb
$0.49 can
Kabocha $0.79/lb
$0.99 lb
$12.99/cs
$10.99 cs
$0.59 lb
Paldo Alove Vera Drink (sugar free) 1.5L $2.79 Green leaf $0.99/ea
$0.79 ea
Twin Fish Dried Soy Bean 4.4lb $4.49
$3.49 Flying Horse Tapioca Starch 14oz $0.89
$0.59
Fresh local cucumber $0.49/ea
Cabbage $0.49/lb
$0.39 lb
$0.89
Nong Phu Rice Vermicelli 32oz $2.59
Offer only good while supplies last. We reserve the right to correct all printed errors.
$0.99
$0.89 pk
Trung Nguyen 3-in-1 Coffee (20 packs) $2.79/pk
$2.39 pk
$2.09
Chicken Drummet $2.59/lb
Beef Rib Bone $2.29/lb
$1.99 lb
$2.29 lb
Chicken Wings $2.29/lb
Pork Chop $2.69/lb
$1.99 lb
$2.49 lb
Coconut Tree Vegetarian Fish Sauce 700ml $2.49
$1.49
Han Asia Roasted Seaweed $1.29/pk Tufoco Rice Paper (all sizes) $1.29
$3.99
Richin Lychee in Syrup $1.79
$1 three
Asian Taste Yellow Rock Sugar 16oz $1.39
Maggi European Soy Sauce 200ml $4.79
$1.99
$2.19
Tongue Sole $2.99/lb
$2.49 lb
Squid Loligo $2.49/lb
$1.99 lb
Fresh Tilapia $2.69/lb
$2.29 lb
Belt Fish $3.49/lb
$2.99 lb Whole Periwinkle Snail $3.99/lb
$3.49 lb
White Shrimp Head-on 30-40
$5.99 lb $26.99/box $23.99 box $6.99/lb
asianweekly northwest
10
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
OPINION
■ editorial
Well, that was embarrassing… Acknowledging our assumptions
There are many ways to strangle communication. We can misinterpret, not pay enough attention, pay too much attention (to ourselves!), and of course assume. It is much too easy to do. A recent case in point is last Thursday’s hearing by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on international and foreign affairs. Freshman congressman Curt Clawson, in his first inaugural meeting, addressed Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar—who hold positions at the State Department and Commerce Department—as foreigners. He didn’t recognize they were government officials and US citizens, but assumed they were presenting on—well, what exactly what that was was unclear. But it was related to “foreign” affairs. Clawson reportedly addressed questions to
both Biswai and Arun about “your country” and “your government”. Confusion and embarrassment ensued. So this is what was clear.... He was making an assumption. Granted, it was congressman Clawson’s first day and he was sitting on the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. Bless anyone who has to experience the trauma and tribulation of a new job and the miscommunication it might entail. But this situation of misrepresentation is not uncommon—it is actually prevalent. As Asian Americans we face it consistently, whether it’s being addressed by the way you look or by the last name you have. So then how exactly do we acknowledge it when we do have to face it? It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing for both
parties. Does a congressional meeting keep running with awkward pauses and confused members? Mistakes can be made in innocence and should be forgiven, but constant misrepresentation is hard to ignore. Issues of identity are complicated enough and tricky to handle (see Tiffany Ran’s thoughtful commentary on page 11), so, rather than making those assumptions, we should acknowledge confusion and not be afraid to apologize for our mistakes whenever we deal with identity. Clawson did apologize. On Friday, he told USA Today “I made a mistake in speaking before being fully briefed and I apologize. I’m a quick study, but in this case I shot an air ball.”
■ PUBLISHER'S BLOG
Photos by Assunta Ng/NWAW
My list of summer delights is better than ice cream!
My special shrimp watermelon salad I make for meals.
Mustard green, tofu, and salted egg soup.
Rainier cherries and tomatoes.
What really cools you down during a hot day? It doesn’t have to be a cold beer or ice cream. Psychologically, beer and ice cream might give you the impression that they lower your body temperature. In reality, it’s just the opposite. Ice cream will actually increase your body temperature and beer will dehydrate you.
ally go to Asian grocery stores and try the small kinds. It’s refreshing to eat tomatoes as snacks. Whether it’s heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, any type of tomato is beneficial to your health.
This is a compilation of my favorites: 1. Watermelon I used to hate watermelon when I was a kid—too many seeds, they were too big, and hard to cut--the skin was too thick---and it was hard to find the sweet ones. And you were never able to find them during the winter. The new watermelon has everything I ask for---sweet, seedless, small, and it has the thin white skin. Now, I couldn’t survive during summer without this fruit. Credit our modern farmers for doing such a splendid job in revolutionizing the whole fruit. We are blessed to live in this age--we can buy watermelon in Seattle, all year round. And, as a bonus, watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 91% water by weight and is a huge source of vitamin C. Watermelon is also on the list of antiaging foods. Wow! 2. Soups Chinese mustard green, salty egg, pork, tofu soup… When you don’t have much appetite to eat during the summer, try different kinds of soup. The first one on my list is Chinese mustard greens boiled with salty egg, pork, and tofu. It boosts your appetite. It also quickly cools you down during the evenings while you sleep. 3. Miso soup
Mini bananas. These are smaller than they look!
Cold noodles.
Cold chicken.
According to Japan’s National Cancer Centre, “Eating three or more bowls of miso soup every day could cut women’s risk of developing breast cancer.”Awesome! Miso paste is also a good source of fiber and minerals, despite being heavy on salt. If you don’t have time to prepare fancy soups, just buy the instant kind. There are several kinds to choose from. I like to buy the miso paste individually wrapped at Uwajimaya.
Bananas might not appeal to everyone’s taste because they can be quite bland. Mini bananas are much sweeter than the big ones. Two years ago, bananas were not on my food list. Once I learned about their nutritious value, I wouldn’t let go. They are rich in vitamin B6 and C, manganese, potassium, and other minerals. They also contain prebiotics. Just in case…if you have regular constipation… banana is your friend.
4. Rainier cherries Washington is home of Rainier cherries, those beautiful pink and white ones. I wouldn’t eat the blood-red cherries, they are too sweet for me. I prefer the Rainier cherries—they have the right amount of sweetness and juiciness. They are still in the market, so get some before the season is over.
6. Apple salad “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” still applies. But I can’t eat one every day. Apples are getting to be so big that consuming one will fill me up like a huge meal. So George and I make apple salad with avocados and other goodies as part of our dinner. My son John does a nice job of chopping the apples into fine pieces—helps with digestion!
5. Mini bananas Bananas come in all sizes. I like mini bananas from Central America. You can get them from Lam’s Seafood.
7. Tomatoes You can buy tomatoes during all four seasons. But summer tomatoes produce multiple colors and have a much better taste. I usu-
Want to get the inside scoop on the latest happenings of Seattle’s Asian American community? Follow Publisher Assunta Ng’s blog at nwasianweekly.com under the Opinion section.
8. Cold noodles How do you make your cold noodles delicious? It’s the sauce. You can buy all kinds of sauce in Asian grocery stores. My favorite is peanut sauce. When I have peanut butter in my fridge, I can easily blend my own peanut sauce with garlic powder, ginger powder, hot sauce, lime juice, and soy sauce. 9. Cold chicken And yes, my peanut sauce would go well with cold chicken, too. The difference between my cold chicken is that I use dark meat instead of white meat. However, my peanut sauce works well with both dark and white meat. Just make sure your chicken isn’t overcooked. Then make sure you cool it in the fridge for a while before you serve. 10. Hot dogs I spare the bun, onion, pickles, or tomatoes for my hot dog, I just want the “dog.” No need to grill the “dog” either, a little pan-frying in my kitchen does wonders for the meat. Instantly, I feel satisfied and content with only a few bites. Readers would probably accuse me of advocating junk food. I am allowed to be bad— especially on a hot summer day. I polled my staff on what they like to eat during these hot summer days. One said sushi, another said grass jelly, and yes, there was a vote for bubble tea—all great suggestions for treats during this warm weather. It’s fun to experiment when it comes to food. You might be surprised by what you discover.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
11
OPINION
■ COMMENTARY
Ask, don’t tell us who we are
When I tell people that I cook for a living, I get, on multiple occasions, “Do you make sushi?” or “Do you work in a Chinese restaurant?” And those who aren’t perceptive enough to note my accompanying eye roll will eventually ask, “Why not?” I often brushed these questions off as coming from misguided but genuinely curious people. I’ll tell them where I work, they’ll be pleasantly surprised, but then, other questions follow. Am I good at math? Do I absolutely love Hello Kitty? Are my parents stoic and strict? Am I a terrible driver? Do I watch K-dramas? They never end, and are similar in nature. For many, my life story has been written out in their minds just by one look at my face. And with all the times I’ve brushed these off as ignorant stereotypes and the more I’m faced with these fast assumptions, the more I’m aware of how widespread these assumptions lie. For the purpose of this piece, I will have to admit my guilty indulgence, and that is a mind rotting combo of reality shows, wine, and Shin Ramyun enjoyed in the quiet hours past midnight after getting home from work. During my indulgent unwind last week, I watched the contestants of MasterChef brace themselves for a dreaded pressure test. This time, it was to make the perfect Spring Roll (the “Chinese” kind, not to be confused with the Vietnamese spring roll made with rice paper) to avoid being sent home from the competition, and that’s when I got that pit in my stomach. I watched as Chinese American contestant Dan Wu stood
■ LETTERs
Photo from Dan Wu Facebook page
By Tiffany Ran NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Dan Wu of MasterChef.
nervously among his comrades, and I knew it was coming. “Dan, where were you born?” Joe Bastianich asks him. “China,” Wu replies. And then, it hits. “This is something you’re familiar with,” Bastianich asks, sounding more like a statement than a question. “I have made them before,” Wu replies. While Wu eagerly embraced the challenge, he did not make the best spring roll, and boy did he get it from the judges. “I expected you to give something better, to be honest,” said Gordon Ramsey, “I wanted you to give everybody else in this room a master class, because this is in your backyard.” Dan Wu was born in the country with
the largest population in the world, most of whom have never seen an egg roll. In fact, it’s safe to say that egg rolls are probably as close to Wu’s backyard as the Olive Garden is to Bastianich, a chef who rallies vehemently for authentic Italian cuisine. The generalizations here are egregious, the comments are obnoxiously familiar, but it quickly dissipates, leaving me with the stench of its misconceptions. It’s hard to label these minute race generalizations, pseudo-complimentary (though inaccurate) stereotypes, much less identify them when they’re coming. They’re often subtle farts in the wind, but after so much of this nonsense, I think it’s time to clear the air. Are these stereotypes harmful? Should I be telling people who assume or expect these things of me that they sound like
Increasing property values are good!
As your King County Assessor, I was quite surprised to see my interview with the NW Asian Weekly printed with the headline, “Your higher property tax should ‘make you feel good’” in the July 10th edition. If you read the original story, the point that I was making was that the recent increase in property values should make King County residents feel better about what is commonly their biggest asset, their home. When I first took office in 2009, real estate values were plummeting in double digits while the unemployment rate was soaring. In less than 12 months, many of us lost over a quarter of our net worth and the national economy took many years to get back to where we are now. Today, property values are rising quickly due to the strength of our local economy, with many areas seeing double digit increases. Many homeowners are now building equity in their homes instead of being upside down on their loans. As an elected official, I conduct public meetings
and one-on-one meetings with residents across the County, and two common questions that I have always been asked are “How does my property value impact my property taxes” and “Where do my property tax dollars go?” Property value increase may or may not increase your property taxes, it’s dependent upon where you live in the County and the decisions made by your local taxing districts. Property tax revenues are limited to an increase of 1% per year. Washington state is one of the few states in the country that operate under a floating levy rate than a fixed levy rate. In good economic times, added value for new construction might lower tax rates for the rest of the taxpayers. The levy rate adjusts to ensure that revenues are collected to support our schools, cities, and other districts. — Lloyd Hara King County Assessor
NWAW wants your input! Your voice is important and supports our community. Voice commentary, opinion, and issues that affect the Asian American community by emailing us at info@northwestasianweekly.com
idiots, or smile and laugh it off? It seems so harmless, but it gets old so quickly and leaves me conscious each time I walk into a room that there are expectations placed upon me that I could not imagine or expect simply based on my appearance. “You’re good at math, right?” “Your parents are probably pretty conservative, huh?” “I bet you like to eat those weird things, right?” “You must have had a great SAT score.” These are comments I believe many Asians and Asian Americans face and perhaps laugh off or disregard, but it means that so many of our personal strengths, characteristics, stories, and passions are muted. We hold back from correcting others, we save our breaths, we laugh it off, but what we don’t do is offer a more comprehensive picture of who we are and what we do. It’s a startling epiphany to have while watching a somewhat cheesy and contrived cooking competition show, but that just goes to show, it’s everywhere. Speak up, it’s easy to say and less easy to do, but here, my open letter goes out also to those who have been asking the questions: Let me tell you what I eat and what I cook, what my strengths are, what I’m passionate about, and who I am.
Tiffany Ran is a cook at an Italian apertivo bar in Ballard. She loves amaro as much as she loves bubble milk tea, and likes terrible reality shows way more than K-dramas or anime. Tiffany Ran can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
Watch out for a new scam
I would like to bring up a business scam that we had encountered recently. Perhaps it will allow other Asian restaurants, whom I think were the targets, to be aware and to be able to prevent this from happening. We did not fall victim to the scam and we were able to record the whole process and conversation we were having with the alleged scammer. Here is what had happened: -Someone called our restaurant and had asked for a manager or owner in regards to their City Light/Public Utilities/Puget Sound bill. -They will say the payment you made had not gone through because their system was down and that if you do not pay within a certain amount of time, your power/electricity/gas will be shut off. -They will then advise you to go to the nearest 7-11 store to purchase “credit/debit cards”(Vanilla, Greenstop etc.) and load the card with the amount due -They will then ask for the full credit/debit card number including the back passcode that will allow them to take all the money from the card. I reported this to the police but they are not very interested in doing much to resolve this issue as they said, “this happens thousands of times a day. We cannot really do anything about it.” I told them I wanted to report it so perhaps the police station can make others aware of this situation and that if they encounter a phone call like this one, they can avoid the scam. I am reaching out to you because I believe these scammers target Asian restaurants because we are more vulnerable to these situations. It would be wonderful if you could put this in your Seattle Chinese Post and/or Asian Weekly. This would be very helpful to Asian restaurants especially in the International District. A lot of restaurants could have been a victim already, but have not said anything. For myself, I have never encountered this before. — Ellen Ta
asianweekly northwest
12
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
{UW RECRUITER cont’d from page 1} Tony Vo, former Asian Student Commission Director for the Associated Students of the University of Washington. “We had a lot more goals in mind when we started this position. … Once the position was lost, we kind of took a step back. It made us all step back.” In an attempt to reinstate the position, and air out other concerns, Michael Young the Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS) will be hosting a meeting with UW President Michael Young. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 31, at 3:30 p.m., at the ACRS building, located at 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. The recruiter position was held by Latana Thaviseth for about one year, until Jan. 10. She was charged with identifying students interested in attending the UW and set up college application workshops with them, according to the UW Daily. She was also responsible for partnering with communitybased organizations assisting underprivileged Southeast Asians in the Puget Sound region. By the time she was done, she had created 16 new liaisons with local Southeast Asian organizations. Thaviseth’s job was temporary, but it was with the ongoing assumption that the UW was looking for permanent funding, Vo said. According to Vice Provost of Diversity Sheila Edwards Lange, the reason why her office hired a temporary intern was to help “clarify what the issues are for Southeast Asian students at UW Seattle” along with developing outreach programs for the students, finding new partnerships in the community and guiding the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMAD)
{ZHOU cont’d from page 5} incumbent and retired members had been considered off-limits for prosecution in an unwritten rule aimed at preserving party unity. However, Xi, who is party leader as well as president, has vowed to target both lowand high-level officials in his campaign to purge the party of corruption and other wrongdoing that have undermined its legitimacy in the public eye. Tuesday’s announcement ended months of speculation over Zhou’s fate that had built up as several high-ranking officials and businesspeople and dozens of other known associates came under investigation, amid reports of Zhou’s family amassing great wealth. One after another, the associates disappeared into the custody of party investigators, foreshadowing problems ahead for Zhou. Also Tuesday, the Chinese news magazine Caijing reported that Zhou’s son had been arrested by prosecutors in the city of Yichang in Hubei province, accused of “illegal business operations.” Zhou himself was last seen in October and is believed to have been detained sometime thereafter, although there has been no public announcement. By targeting Zhou, who had commanded China’s massive domestic security apparatus before his retirement, Xi shows the considerable power he has amassed since he took the helm of the party in November 2012. Tuesday’s announcement was a “powerful demonstration” that Xi and his graft-fighting right-hand man, fellow Standing Committee member Wang Qishan, are “really in control,” said Ding Xueliang, an expert on Chinese politics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “This is a huge, huge success for them. It is really remarkable,”
on how to close the educational gap for the students. Lange said, “We respect what we have heard from those who are committed to working with us to improve college access and success for Southeast Asian students, and there is a good chance the position will be reinstated.” Vo said that having a Southeast Asian Student Recruiter is important if the UW has any real desire to connect with the community. “I think someone who can relate to you and is from your community gives you trust and a belief that you can be at that institution as well and can reach higher education,” Vo said. ACRS Executive Director and UW alumna Diane Narasaki said that many Southeast Asians are disadvantaged and need every connection to receiving a better education that they can get. “The Asian American population is a community of contrasts which is extremely ethnically diverse. While some parts of the community have attained educational and economic success, other parts of the community have alarming educational and economic indicators,” Narasaki wrote in a press release. The Southeast Asian communities face significant disparities, she continued. Thirty-seven percent of the Hmong community, 29 percent of the Cambodian community, 18 percent of the Laotian community, and 16 percent of the Vietnamese community live in poverty. Moreover, 40 percent of Hmong, 38 percent of Laotian, and 35 percent of Cambodian students drop out of high school. “Like the other groups which have student recruiters employed by OMAD, these communities clearly experience poverty and all the barriers of opportunity gap. Like the other groups which have much needed student recruiters, the Southeast Asian communities require the support of a culturally competent student recruiter that comes from the relevant community,” Narasaki wrote.
Ding said. “For the broadly defined party state system, which has many millions of members, now they have to face the new reality. That is: You are not immune to punishment.” Li Datong, a political commentator who has been removed from a state media senior editing job for broaching sensitive subjects, said Xi means to show that “if he’s willing to go after a person like Zhou Yongkang, then there’s no one he won’t be willing to take on.” Although retired, Zhou still had threatened to interfere with Xi’s political agenda in order to protect his own personal interests, Li said. “Zhou was a rival who couldn’t be entirely controlled.” By dismantling Zhou’s spheres of influence, Xi also has freed up important positions in strategic areas of the government, security apparatus and state enterprises that he can fill with his own allies. Zhou was once perceived as untouchable, with expansive patronage networks covering the sprawling southwestern province of Sichuan where he was once party boss, the state oil sector, and the police and courts. More significantly, as China’s security chief, he oversaw the country’s domestic spy agencies, a position that afforded him access to information on other high-ranking politicians who might pose a threat to him. If not for his spectacular downfall, Zhou’s life could have been an inspirational rags-toriches tale. He was born the son of an eel fisherman in a littleknown eastern village, the eldest of three boys and the only one to attend university, from which he graduated as an engineer, according to influential financial news magazine Caixin. Zhou spent the early part of his career in the oil sector, rising through the ranks over several decades to become the general manager of China
National Petroleum Corp., one of the world’s biggest energy companies, in 1996. He then served as party chief of Sichuan province between 1999 and 2002. He became a Politburo Standing Committee member and the national security chief in 2007. In order to launch an investigation into Zhou, Xi would likely have had to overcome opposition from highlevel party officials and retired leaders concerned about how it would hurt the party’s image. By breaking the unwritten rule of not targeting leaders of that level, the move also raises questions of whether more top leaders will be implicated. “No doubt, there must have been huge resistance” within the party leadership, said Zhang Lifan, an independent expert in Beijing on elite Chinese politics. Refering to Xi’s pledge to target senior officials, nicknamed “tigers,” in the crackdown, Zhang said, “today, the side that is striking out at the tigers has won the momentum.” Zhang said the party’s reference to “disciplinary violations” in its investigation of Zhou could refer to allegations that his family used his influence and position to seek benefits for themselves. Zhang said that now the case has come to light, the party leadership could not afford to appear weak or it would risk reprisals from those who opposed the move. “One thing is for sure, that is the tiger must be beaten to death, otherwise those who attack tigers will lose their sense of security,” Zhang said. Xi has made his drive to clean up the party the hallmark of his leadership. The crackdown has felled at least 30 provincial and ministerial officials and more than 50 executives of state companies since Xi took charge—the biggest purge of its kind in decades. Among them, those believed linked to Zhou’s case include
Now, the duties of Southeast Asian student recruitment have been added to the responsibilities of Va’eomatoka “Toka” Valu, who heads Pacific Islander recruitment. Vo thinks lumping together two completely different communities is an inefficient answer. “It’s taking away valuable time from a person who is very knowledgeable about the Pacific Islander community to serve a community they’re not very knowledgeable about,” he said. “[And] what if a Southeast Asian takes on the job in the future who doesn’t know about the Pacific Islander community? It’s harmful for both communities.” Having a recruiter was just the first step in a laundry list of needs for Southeast Asians at the UW, Vo said. He envisioned programs to help with student retention and more Asian representation in the staff and administration. According to Lange, many of the relationships with Southeast Asian community groups were already developed by Toka before there was the temporary intern position. “There are a number of community-based college access programs that are inclusive of all AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) students...and I am sure they do not consider their work as lumping different cultures together,” Lange said. Still, though the Southeast Asian Student Coordinator position was lost, Vo said the community reaction and the ensuing dialogue has been meaningful. The meeting this Thursday with President Young is another step in the right direction, he said. “It has made the conversation a lot richer,” he said. “I think our voices have been heard because it’s escalated so far. I would definitely say the Asian community has mobilized around this issue and those voices are really heard.” Zachariah Bryan can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
the former chairman of CNPC, a deputy general manager there, a provincial deputy party boss, a provincial deputy governor and a deputy public security minister. Bringing Zhou to trial is fraught with risk for the party leadership. Xi might claim a victory against corruption, but the case could expose how the party’s unchecked rule makes fertile ground for shady ties between powerful politicians and business interests. No specific details were released on the allegations against Zhou. But reports by the financial news magazines Caixin and Caijing, and a prominent newspaper, The Beijing News, have detailed how Zhou’s son, Zhou Bin, built a business empire in oil and real estate through connections that were not explicitly stated but that clearly hinted at Zhou. Zhou Bin also was business partners with Liu Han, a former multi-millionaire mining tycoon who was sentenced to death in May on charges of running a criminal gang. Although Xi’s anti-corruption crackdown has been largely popular with a public eager for cleaner government, moves against high-level officials are often seen as politically motivated swipes at rivals. Political experts have said Xi’s leadership might be better served by moving away from such campaigns and improving institutional checks on power. “They should move toward building a stronger legal, political, institutional base,” Cheng Li, an expert on elite Chinese politics at Brookings Institution, said in a recent interview. “I think that Xi and Wang Qishan will continue this kind of anti-corruption campaign, but if it goes on and touches on too many other leaders, it could be very, very dangerous.” Associated Press writers Christopher Bodeen and Ian Mader contributed to this report.
{HARP cont’d from page 7} appreciate wonderful aspects of Chinese culture.” Margaret Britton, Vice President of the Seattle Chinese Garden, says, “Shirley is truly a guzheng master … She is especially devoted to her students of all ages, as she showed off their talents at a recent recital in the Seattle Chinese Garden. As an added bonus, she offers lessons in English or Mandarin!” Today, Shirley Wang has more than 20 students from Bellevue, Redmond, Seattle, Snohomish and Yakima. To better serve her students, she is opening a new studio, in September, just south of I-90 in Bellevue. “I do group lessons,” says Shirley, “Like a mother and kids when they get home, they encourage each other to improve. For co-workers, every time they have classes together, they feel the competition, and they have to practice well. Maybe they think, ‘I don’t want to do worse than her, so I have to practice more.” YanFen says that she loves studying guzheng with Shirley because she is strict, and demands a lot of hard work. In spite of that, her daughter thinks she is a nice teacher, and she loves to play guzheng. When asked how studying music impacts her adjustment to life in the Seattle, YanFen Wang says, “I feel like I can keep my identity somehow. Sometimes I cannot feel the difference from my hometown when I live here. The lifestyle is the same. I can cook Chinese food myself. I can play the guzheng, and that lets me feel like it is not so difficult to stay.” For more information, visit: http:// www.seattleguzheng.com. Opening in September: The Seattle Guzheng Studio, 14950 SE Allen Rd., Suite #A, Bellevue, WA 98006, http://www.seattleguzheng.com. Laura Ohata can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
■ astrology
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
13
For the week of August 2–August 8, 2014 By Sun Lee Chang Rat — Are you not quite sold on a popular idea? No matter how much anyone else likes it, the important part is whether it is a good fit for you.
Dragon — Someone has sounded the alarm, heed it’s warning until you are sure that you are out of harm’s way.
Monkey — Looking for a way to diffuse rising tensions? More often than not, using a good distraction can do the trick—at least for a while.
Ox — After a steady string of successes, you must remain on your toes to keep your winning streak going.
Snake — There are several signs that at the very least raise some questions for you. Stay on top of it until you know what is really going on.
Rooster — Thinking of pleasant, peaceful things as you are taking a break can help you calm down, if things are getting a little stressful.
Tiger — Your leadership skills may be put to the test this week. There is no reason to worry, for you will surely rise to the occasion.
Horse — Too much of a good thing can quickly turn it into something else entirely. Remember that moderation is the key.
Dog — As much as you would prefer to keep things the same, there will come a time when you realize changes have happened after all.
Rabbit — Why does it take some people so long to see what is right in front of them? Denial can be a powerful force, if you give in to it.
Goat — Ease your anxiety about a looming project by getting an early start. The sooner you dive in, the more time you give yourself to finish.
Pig — Turn a big task into a more manageable one by breaking it down into smaller segments. It will get done even faster if you enlist help.
What’s your animal sign? Rat 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 Ox 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 Tiger 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 Rabbit 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 Dragon 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 Snake 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Horse 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 Goat 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 Dog 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.
year obligation or the full 20 years and retire. He did say that he plans to go back to school to get a master’s degree, possibly at the University of Washington. His ultimate goal is to become captain of his own ship. “Hopefully if things work out right, I play my cards right, I can make it there some day,” he said.
{USS COLE cont’d from page 1} The Cole was named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action during World War II. The ship is impressive. It is nearly 500 feet long, 66 feet wide, and weighs more than 8,000 tons. Yi will be taking the behemoth of a ship on a tour to the Mediterranean area next month. The journey to becoming a navigator on the Cole has been a long one. Yi graduated from Curtis Sr. High School in University Place, Wash., where he participated in the Reserve Officers Training Corps. There, he met friends who wanted to serve in the military, something Yi didn’t think that hard about at the time. But the gears started turning in his brain and he decided to look into it. It was the perfect opportunity to provide for his family, he said. His parents had come to the United States from South Korea to find opportunity. “When they first came to the States, they had nothing,” Yi said. “My dad was a fisherman, making money that way. Just the fact that I could join such an elite group and get paid a certain amount of money to provide for the family was the main interest for me.” Still, his parents were skeptical of his decision to join the Navy at first. “At the very beginning, they didn’t even approve of me going into the military. It’s dangerous, we’re involved in world conflicts,” Yi said. Fast forward. He graduated with a four-year degree from the University of Washington with the help of an ROTC scholarship and he then joined the Navy. It wasn’t long until he was commissioned to go on his first tour, which involved serving in the Persian Gulf on a destroyer, keeping water lanes open, performing anti-piracy ops, and making the U.S. military presence known. It was certainly a different life than the one he led in Seattle. “It was different,” Yi said. “Starting with the weather. You know, Seattle has nice crisp air, but when I got there, it was really hot. Desert heat. I wasn’t used to that weather. I wasn’t used to the culture of living on the ship. Heck, I didn’t even know what a ship looked like at first, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into.” But he got used to it, and he marveled at the direction his life took. “I was driving a ship 15 miles from Iran, patrolling. It was just crazy. My life completely changed after I graduated, it was something I wasn’t even expecting,” Yi said. After wrapping up his tour in the Persian Gulf, Yi asked his captain for a recommendation to become a navigator.
When his captain asked him why, he said it was “the essence of what we did.” His captain agreed and gave him a recommendation. Yi went to a one-month school to get a crash course in navigation and took more tests than ever. “There is a test every other day, and I’m like, ‘Oh great, this sucks,’” he said, laughing. “I actually did alright. I was kind of surprised.” Yi made it through school and became a navigator. And now, after seeing their son succeed, his parents couldn’t be anymore excited. They even had an article published in Korean newspapers, both in Washington state and Virginia. “Now, they’re crazy about it. They always say they’re proud of me, they’re always telling their family and friends,” Yi said.
With the money he’s been able to make, Yi bought his parents a home in Norfolk, Va. His dad is no longer a fisherman and his parents have found success in running a jewelry store for several years. In a sense, Yi’s parents are living the life they had imagined when they set off from South Korea so many years ago. “I don’t know a lot of 25-yearolds buying homes. I’m pretty much living the American Dream,” Yi said. Yi is passionate about where he works and he doesn’t see himself leaving anytime soon. “Right now, I’m leaning toward staying in [the Navy]. I didn’t go through all that school and get here for nothing, you know. I want to try and get as far as I can in the military, whether that’s my four-
Navy Communications Specialist Justin Yarborough contributed to this report. Zachariah Bryan can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.
“Your advocate and fighter to maintain entry level jobs and support local small businesses.I respectfully ask you for your vote.”
www.buckleylaw.net
Seattle Office 675 S. Lane St. Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98104 Office: (206) 622-1100 Toll free: (800) 404-6200 Fax: (206) 622-0688
Our law firm has recovered over $200 million for clients
Tacoma Office Wells Fargo Plaza Suite 1400 Tacoma, WA 98402 (appointment only)
Our Attorneys & Staff Proudly Serving the Community
Auto accidents Back & neck injuries Brain damage Wrongful Death Permanent Disability Pedestrian Accidents Quadriplegia/Paraplegia
Slip & fall Product Liability Contingent fees (no recovery, no fee, costs only) Same day appointments Before & after work appointments available Free initial consultation Home & hospital visits available
Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum Selected as Super Lawyer Selected as Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the United States Member of Several Bar Associations
asianweekly northwest
14
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
{CHOW cont’d from page 9} without Jean Kwok (“Mambo in Chinatown”), I would have given up. Early on in my writing career, she encouraged me (on Twitter, of all places!). Also, I’d like to give a shout-out to Seattle’s own Jamie Ford (“Songs of Willow Frost”), who is very sweet and supportive in person. NWAW: What is the 288 Incident? How did you first become aware of it, and how did you learn about it? Chow: The 228 Incident was a pivotal point in Taiwan history, which occurred after the transition from
Japanese to Chinese Nationalist or the Kuomintang (KMT) rule. On Feb. 27, 1947, a Taiwanese widow’s savings and merchandise were taken away from her, which sparked a riot. The following day, troops fired on a peaceful demonstration against the corrupt Chinese administration. The struggle between native Taiwanese and the new Chinese government eventually led to tens of thousands of massacred civilians. I had no idea about this tragic event and time period until my relatives told me on a trip to Taiwan.
NWAW: How long did the book take to write? What were the easiest and hardest aspects of writing it? How did you work past the mental and emotional obstacles? Chow: The book took me about two years to write, with multiple NWAW: What led you to decide to write a book drafts and revisions. I really enjoyed crafting the main characters, but it was difficult to balance the different voices and ages of each individual. grounded in the incident? Chow: The pain I witnessed from my family as I worked through the obstacles by persevering one word at a time and having the support of my critique group and online writing friends.
Service Directory
NWAW: What reactions, positive and negative, have you gotten about the book? Chow: I’ve gotten a lot of support from those who have experienced 228 directly or whose relatives have suffered through that time. They’re always so excited that I’m telling this story, and that it echoes the pain they’ve gone through. On the other hand, I’ve had others who disliked how subtle I was in portraying those historical periods.
ACM1 Concrete Lic.
Foundation.Veneer.Brick.Stamping. Driveway.Exposed Concrete.Paver. Loni (253)985-3021 or Nate (206) 939-9936 Free Estimate Licensed And Bonded
The American Legion Cathay Post 186
Serving the community since 1946
cathaypost@hotmail.com
206-625-9104
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.
they told me their stories led me to write my book. It was astounding for me to understand that this period of Taiwanese history was blocked out and untold for decades until the end of Taiwan’s martial law. I knew that this event affected people deeply and continues to have ramifications, so I wanted to create a story that explores the subtle and dramatic results of this trauma upon multiple generations.
www.herrmannscholbe.com
» Personal Injury » Airline Disasters » Bicycle Accidents
» Wrongful Death » Dog Bites » Pedestrian Accidents
Mandarin, Cantonese & Korean Interpreter available
NWAW: Have you visited Seattle before? If not, what are you looking forward to? Chow: This is my first time visiting Seattle. I’m looking forward to the Chihuly museum. It amazes me how imagination can translate to those magnificent colored whirls of glass. I’ve also heard a lot of good things about Snoqualmie Falls and am excited to see the majestic nature of the local area. Plus, I hear the food is excellent, so I’m looking forward to culinary exploration as well. For more information on Jennifer Chow’s talk, visit tap-seattle.org/ blog/?p=2389. Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
{TWISP cont’d from page 1} Soo Ing-Moody, is guiding the efforts to ensure that the nearly 1,000 residents of her town are safe. Ing-Moody, 43, has been the mayor for over 3 years. She was originally a member of the town council and was appointed mayor shortly into her term when the former mayor stepped down. Ing-Moody and her husband settled in the town 14 years ago and operate a Bed and Breakfast in the town. She was originally born in Canada and educated in Germany. She holds two masters’ degrees from a German university, as well as further education from the University of Toronto. In addition, Methow Valley District Ranger Mike Liu is one of the many fighting the fires. Liu, who is Asian American, oversees the district which encompasses approximately 1,326,000 acres and extends from near the town of Twisp to the crest of the Cascades in the Pasayten Wilderness and North Cascades National Park. The fire, started by lightning on July 14th, has been ongoing. Hot weather and windy conditions allowed the fire to travel over ridge tops and down valleys over a significant distance resulting in a large number of evacuations. About 2,500 people are fighting the fires. The Washington National Guard has
assisted the cause with four Blackhawk helicopters dropping water on the Carlton complex. Cooler temperatures have granted firefighters the opportunity to attack the wildfire, although a spokesperson indicated that it was 60 percent contained. Utility crews are working to restore power to many residents as the fire burned utility lines. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Washington because of the fires. The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to coordinate disaster relief and help state and local agencies with equipment and resources. President Obama, who was in Seattle for a fundraiser on July 22nd, attributed a portion of the wildfire to a change in climate. At least one death has been attributed to the wildfires. A man suffered a heart attack as he was attempting to haul water and dig a fire line to protect his home. Carlton complex is not the only area in north-central Washington needing to fend off wild fires. The Chiwaukum Complex near Leavenworth and Mills Canyon are also dealing with fires. Jason Cruz can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
{FILM FESTIVAL cont’d from page 6} Soonyoung Redden of University Place attended the 2013 event and volunteered to help me coordinate this year’s event. NWAW: How do you go about financing and organizing the festival? Raschke: The Asian Film Fest receives a grant from the Lakewood Arts Commission, plus this year, we have 12 local sponsors. Everything is normally in place by early June, so marketing announcements can begin 60 days prior to the event. NWAW: How were the films chosen? Raschke: During the summer and fall, a small group of friends who are foreign film enthusiasts, inform me of Asian films they have watched and highly recommend to me. I watch their suggestions and then make final selections. Naturally, I try to balance the films to represent the major nations of the Asian region, including China, Mongolia, Japan, India, Philippines, Korea, and other areas. This year’s films represent a wide variety of themes designed to educate, as well as entertain audiences. NWAW: Which non-film attractions will be at the festival this year? How did you recruit them? Raschke: This year’s performing groups include the Chang Hee Suk Korean Women Drummers and Okinawa Taiko Drummers, plus a special lobby display by the Philippine Scouts Historical Society. The Philippine Scouts is a famous military group who fought with the U.S. military during World War II and before. During the year, I visit many community events and when I see a group that has high audience appeal, I contact them and ask them to perform at the
{PLANE CRASH cont’d from page 4}
Photos by Lia Chang
One man discovers America’s triumphs and confronts its failures.
Joel de la Fuente as Gordon Hirabayashi
Bonus Event Aug 2
Conversation with playwright Jeanne Sakata
Jul 31–Aug 3 WITH SUPPORT BY
Buy tickets today or see it with an ACTPass!
(206) 292-7676 • acttheatre.org
who was returning home to Penghu with his mother after attending a summer camp for young choral singers. Stormy weather and low visibility are thought to have been factors in the crash of the twin-propeller ATR-72 operated by TransAsia Airways. The investigation is expected to focus on a four-minute gap between the pilot’s request for a second approach and the plane’s crashing into village homes at 7:10 p.m., during which visibility dropped by half. One of the questions is why the pilots decided to proceed with the flight despite rough weather on the heels of a typhoon that had forced the cancellation of about 200 flights earlier in the day. However, aviation authorities said conditions were safe for flying and two other planes had landed at Penghu prior to the crash. The mother of one of the victims screamed at TransAsia Chairman Vincent Lin when he arrived to pay respects at the
15
film festival on a volunteer basis. NWAW: What are the easiest and most difficult parts of organizing the festival? How did you work through the challenges? Raschke: Naturally, the first year was the hardest. No matter how well you plan, there are always a few unexpected issues. The easiest part is the actual film selection and obtaining volunteers to work the actual event. The films come recommended by friends and there are many quality films to choose from. The most difficult part is raising enough funds to support the marketing and production of the actual event. The best way to work through any issue is to get an early start in the planning and work on the event every day, even if it is a minor item. Most importantly, be flexible and have backup films, entertainment, projection equipment, cables, and event volunteers ready to quickly fill in. NWAW: What are the plans for the festival next year and beyond? Raschke: The key objective for 2015 and beyond is to expand the sponsorship participation to allow for the purchase of projection equipment, rather than annually renting the equipment. Consideration of expanding the event to a week will also be reviewed. Lastly, as the event is currently free to all, there may be some consideration given to charging a small fee to attend. For more information on the Lakewood Asian Film Festival, call the Lakewood Playhouse at 253-588-0042, Phil Raschke at 253-861-1366, and/or visit www.lsca.us. Andrew Hamlin can be reached at info@ nwasianweekly.com.
funeral hall Friday. Lin kneeled down, bowed to the woman, and apologized. “Give me back my son, he is only 27 years old,” the woman cried. “He is still young, but now he is lying there at the morgue. I want my son back.” “This is an unpredictable tragedy. The priority for us is to assist victims’ relatives,” Lin later told reporters as Buddhist monks conducted rituals for the dead. Local media reported Friday that the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder had been sent to the main island of Taiwan for analysis. One of the devices was damaged in the crash and ensuing fire, and it wasn’t immediately clear when results of the investigation would be made public. The TransAsia crash was Taiwan’s first deadly civil aviation accident since 2002, when a China Airlines plane went down shortly after takeoff, killing 225. Bodeen reported from Beijing.
asianweekly northwest
16
AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8, 2014
{BAM cont’d from page 9} a great treasure in Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Heisserman says, “I find celadon very restive to view.” Heisserman became fascinated with celadon after a visit to an Asian art museum. Since then, she developed her own celadon glaze recipes, which she uses to paint her ceramics. The simple color allows Heisserman to focus more on sculptural motifs made of clay underlying the glaze. DEVA Jewelry and Shibori Virginia Jurasevich specializes in tie-dye silk scarves and shawls in a traditional Japanese style called “shibori.” Although there are many techniques employed in shibori, Jurasevhich specializes in three in particular. The first is called “nui,” in which tiny knots are stitched into the cloth with a needle and thread, and then bound before the dye bath. The second method is called “arashi,” which means “storm” and made by wrapping the cloth around a pole. The third style is called “itajime” a type of pleating, folding, and clamping to a board to create geometric patterns. Jurasevich says that, unlike printed cloth, each shibori scarf is quite labor-intensive and a one-of-a-kind work of art.
House of Hong restaurant owner Tan Tho Thien demonstrates Chinese calligraphy and translates names for festival-goers.
“The Nesting Dolls” by Artist Meg Bye got selected for the BAM Art Fair’s entrance. They are life-sized matroyskas that you can literally step inside.
Linda Heisserman develops her own glazes for celadon ceramics
Fruit baskets made using recycled chopsticks by Chopstick Art
Hung Nguyen Watercolors
Hung Nguyen worked as a visual designer and illustrator in the aerospace industry and television before turning to watercolor art. When asked about why he likes to paint boats and harbors, Nguyen says that he likes the way water changes color as light is reflected and refracted on the waves.
Waka
Waka Ozawa says that she loves coming to the Bellevue Festival of the Arts because she sees the same customers every year. “My repeat customers know to come see me early on Friday morning when the show opens,” says Waka, “They come because they want to have the first choice of my purses.” Originally from Japan, Waka makes purses, vests, and blouses from vintage kimonos and obis. “I came here in the 1970s as an exchange student,” says Ozawa, “So I have been in the United States a long time.” Ozawa says she enjoys the unique combination of Eastern and Western influences in her work.
Ayala Originals
Cindy Ayal uses recycled materials to make intricate long wool coats that look like peacock feathers, and funky scarves punctuated with reused button accents and ribbon remnants. “I do a lot of felting, and work with boiled wool,” says Ayala. “I prefer working with all natural fibers like silk, wool, and cotton.” Ayala uses complicated patterns and time-intensive appliqué to create festive and unique overcoats and scarves.
Akiko’s Pottery
Akiko Graham makes pottery. A native of Hokkaido, Japan, she lives in south Seattle near Burien, where she spends her days making tableware on a commission basis. Graham’s ceramics exhibit a casual elegance, glazed in soft white or earthen tones, and they have earned the attention of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs. Her roster of patrons includes Tom Douglas, Wolfgang Puck, and Shiro Kashiba, among many others. In-spite of the fame, Graham welcomes any assignment, large or small.
Marc Matsui Ceramics
Marc Matsui got lucky. While attending Sammamish High School, he studied pottery with Regnor Reinholdston and Sam Scott, both professional ceramicists. Since then, he earned a degree at the University of Washington, and continued making pottery full-time for more than 30 years. Matsui’s relatively simple bowls are glazed in gorgeous, saturated colors. Sometimes, Matsui’s work includes simple, sharkskin-like textures. Matsui’s work is good enough, that today he supports his family by selling most of his pottery through galleries on the East Coast. For more information about the Bellevue Festival of the Arts, visit http://www.bellevuefest.org. Laura Ohata can nwasianweekly.com.
be
reached
info@