VOL 33 NO 50 | DECEMBER 6 – DECEMBER 12, 2014

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VOL 33 NO 50 DECEMBER 6 – DECEMBER 12, 2014

FREE 32 YEARS YOUR VOICE

A last supper and a new beginning in Chinatown

Photo by George Liu/NWAW

Neighborhood icon Ocean City closes

Owners Christine and Tim Lee (center) with staff and patrons at a last dinner which included crab, rock cod, and duck

By Assunta Ng Northwest Asian Weekly After hosting countless weddings and social events, Ocean City (OC) restaurant, the biggest restaurant in Seattle’s Chinatown, finally ended its own party and history of 31 years on Nov. 30. Instead of tears and sorrow, owners Christine and Tim Lee, dining

with their 10 employees and a few customers, were smiling at their last supper in the restaurant, which was considered an institution in Seattle’s Chinatown. Its two floors could seat up to 850 people for banquets. A year ago, the Lees leased more than three-quarters of its restaurant {see NEW BEGINNINGS cont’d on page 15}

Clinically funny

“Canasian” Ed Hill’s low anxiety helps with high-stress job

By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly

Ed Hill’s start in comedy was a prerequisite. Then again, it was probably an elective. “I took a class when I was in graduate school,” explained the 30-year-old Taiwanese Canadian. While in graduate school at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C., Hill decided to take a comedy writing class. Five years removed from taking the class, Hill has found a knack and comfort for telling jokes in front of people and his comedy has become a serious

side gig. Dubbing himself as the “Canasian” (Canadian Asian), he jokes that comedy has “ruined his life.” Hill’s full-time job is being a mental health therapist. Hill holds a master’s degree from Simon Fraser and an undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia. Hill’s job is a serious one for someone that is skilled at making people laugh. Hill does not mix work with play. “There’s nothing funny about my day job,” he remarked. Although he does not hide his comedy career, he does not impose it on {see HILL cont’d on page 13}

BLOG Seattle meets China » P. 10

Legal scholars: Obama’s immigration actions lawful By Jim Kuhnhenn Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 100 immigration professors and scholars declared Tuesday that President Barack Obama’s decision to make several million immigrants illegally in the United States eligible to be spared from deportation is constitutional and within his administrative powers. The 135 scholars focused on two major provisions of Obama’s executive actions announced last week. One would shield parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents from deportation and allow them to apply for work permits. The other measure would expand a program that shielded immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children. Those two programs could affect up to 4.4 million people. The scholars’ statement asserts that the president’s actions are a proper use of prosecutorial discretion. Republicans reacted furiously to Obama’s decision, calling the offer of deportation relief and work permits unlawful and unconstitutional. Some of Obama’s legal critics argue a president’s job is to enforce the laws passed by Congress and say Obama is acting in defiance of Congress. The White House has argued that past Republican and Democratic presidents have used their executive authority to protect immigrants from deportation. Obama’s actions, however, would affect a far larger number of immigrants than other presidents did with their directives. Critics like John Yoo and Robert Delahunty, both of whom worked in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel during President George W. Bush’s administration, argue that the president doesn’t have such broad latitude and that prosecutorial discretion can only be applied narrowly. The scholars, in their statement, said the broad scope of Obama’s actions did not make them any less lawful. {see IMMIGRATION LAW cont’d on page 12}

Ed Hill

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

WORLD Gong Li questions fairness » P. 5

A&E Acrobatics! » P. 7

A&E Cultural drama » P. 9

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VOL 33 NO 50 | DECEMBER 6 – DECEMBER 12, 2014 by Northwest Asian Weekly - Issuu