vol 32 no 7 | february 9 - february 15, 2013

VOL 32 NO 7 FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2013 FREE 31 YEARS YOUR VOICE

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage PaidPermit No. 746Seattle, WA

■ 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • [email protected] • [email protected] • www.nwasianweekly.com

The InsIde sToryPUB’S BLOGDinner and the Executive Excellence Awards» P. 12

NAMES IN THE NEWSWho’s doing what in the Asian community.» P. 2

MOVIESTaking “The Last Stand.”» P. 9

BOOKSLove, it’s complicated.» P. 11

LUnAr neW yeAr IssUe

By Charles LamNorthwest AsiAN weekly

For years, the tacoma Art Museum has wowed attendees with its collection of Chi-nese textiles and jades, many of which were donated by Col. John C. and Mrs. Mary lee young. But soon, these pieces will be headed back into private collections, as the tacoma Art Museum sells off their Chinese textiles in a process called “deaccessioning.”

it’s not a move without critics.“Breaking up the collection is wrong,” said

sue lee, executive director of the Chinese historical society of America. “the collec-tion was meant to educate and inform the public of the rich cultural heritage of Chinese Americans. it should be retained as a collec-tion for this purpose.”

According to the Association of Art Muse-um Directors, deaccessioning is “the practice

{see TACOMA ART MUSEUM cont’d on page 19}

TAM sale of Chinese treasures upsets donorsMuseum sells collection of jades and robes

By Charles LamNorthwest AsiAN weekly

“i didn’t know i was breaking down barri-ers. i didn’t know i was creating new paths,” said Dr. sharon Parker, the Assistant Chancel-lor for equity and Diversity of the University

of washington at tacoma. “All i could see was that there were women called minor-ity women, and they had no voice.”

Parker and the 10 other honorees are bridge builders, people who work to

{see WOC cont’d on page 15}

Uniting CommunItiesWomen of Color Empowered share memories of inclusion

From left to right: Jane Nishita, Manuelita Ybarra, Nikki Gane, Yoshiko Harden, Michelle Nitz-Weiss, Natasha Burrows, Ellen Ferguson, Sharon Parker, Debbie Bird, Pearl Leung, and Vivian Lee.

From left to right: former TAM Director Jon Kowalik, Mrs. Mary Lee Young, and Mrs. Pearlie Baskin at the third exhibition of the Young collection in 1982.

By Nina HuangNorthwest AsiAN weekly

According to ancient Chinese wisdom, having a snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your loved ones will not starve. Feb. 10 marks the first day of the lunar New year, and this year happens to be the year of the snake. As the sixth sign of the Chinese Zo-diac, the snake is the most enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined, and collected of the animal signs.

According to Chinese tradition, snakes are attractive people who are thoughtful and wise, but can also tend to be stingy or greedy

when it comes to financial matters. Because they appreciate beauty, snakes are also very styl-

ish, fashionable, and have great taste. they can also be egotistical and conceited. insight-ful and naturally intuitive, failure is definitely

not an option for the determined and ambitious snakes.

Below, we look at a few famous individu-als who exemplify snake characteristics, some more than others.

{see SNAKES cont’d on page 18}{see WOC cont’d on page 15}

By Nina HuangNorthwest Asi

According to ancient Chinese wisdom, having a snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your loved ones will not starve. Feb. 10 marks the first day of the and this year happens to be the

when it comes to financial matters. Because they appreciate beauty, snakes are also very styl

not an option for the determined and ambitious snakes.

als who exemplify snake characteristics, some more than others.

How 8 Asians exemplify (or defy!) their snake traits

By StaffNorthwest AsiAN weekly

wAshiNGtoN, D.C. — the U.s. Postal service released its 2013 lunar New year stamp, featuring firecrackers, paper-cut de-signs, and Chinese calligraphy on Jan. 16 to help customers usher in the year of the snake.

{see STAMP cont’d on page 16}

2013 Lunar New Year stamp released

Phot

o by

Geo

rge

Liu/

NW

AW

2 FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2013 asianweeklynorthwest

■ nAMes In The neWs

Kendee Yamaguchi hired as Director of Policy, Legislative Affairs, and External Relations of the Attorney General’s office

Attorney General Bob Fer-guson announced the hiring of Kendee Yamaguchi as Director of Policy, legislative Affairs, and external relations on tuesday, Feb. 5.

As the executive director of the washington state Commis-sion on Asian Pacific American Affairs, yamaguchi served as a small agency cabinet member and advised the governor, state agencies, the legislature, and lo-

cal government on policies, plans, and programs. yamaguchi will lead Ferguson’s governmental affairs team,

advising the office on legislative issues, policy, and external relations.

yamaguchi has worked in the Clinton white house as a di-rector in the office of Management and Administration. she has experience working as a television executive and a staff member in the washington state legislature. she has also worked as an attorney in private practice.

she earned her law degree from seattle University school of law. During law school, yamaguchi earned numerous hon-ors and scholarships from the National Asian Pacific Ameri-can Bar Association, loren Miller Bar Association, Puget sound Minority Clerkship, and the Access to Justice institute.

A third-generation Japanese American who was born and raised in washington, yamaguchi is a former member of the washington state Bar Association’s Professionalism Com-mittee and serves on the seattle ethics and elections Com-mission.

Japanese Consul General Ota to end Seattle diplomatic mission

Japanese Counsel General to seattle Kiyokazu Ota and his wife will be leaving seattle in the month of February to receive his new diplomatic assignment in Japan. Counsel ota has served at the seattle consulate for the past three years, being part of a period of close cooperation of the two countries. Counsel General ota’s duties ranged from traditional diplomatic work to attending community events.

recently, he was the host of the emperor of Japan’s birthday celebration in seattle.

his replacement is yet to be announced.

Kin On announces new board of director members

Kin On Community Health Care and the Kin On Health Care Center announced new additions to their board direc-tors and new executive officers during their annual meeting on Dec. 4, 2012.

New board members include Christin Chou, Billy Chow, Susana Lee, Rosa Leung, and Anita Woo.

executive Committee officers are President katty Chow, 1st Vice President stella leong, 2nd Vice President hannah wong, secretary Daryl hue, and treasurer David lee.

kin on board members serve three-year terms. officers serve two-year terms.

Mayor McGinn kicks off campaign in South Seattle

Mayor McGinn kicked off his re-election campaign on January 9 at an event hosted at the Filipino Community Cen-ter in south seattle.

the event opened with a speech by campaign co-chair es-tella ortega, who is also executive director of el Centro de la raza.

other speakers and attendees included former state rep. kip tokuda and tony lee, Arlene oki, Debabutta Dash, Frank irigon, Maria Batayola, and sharon Maeda.

Mayor McGinn at his South Seattle election rally

Christin Chou

Kendee Yamaguchi

Consul General Ota

Billy Chow Rosa Leung Anita Woo

Northwest Asian Weekly is always looking for Asian American community news. If you are the host or an attendee of an API fundraiser, e-mail us a big photo, event highlights, and the amount of money raised. We are also looking for news about APIs in new jobs and APIs getting public recognition and awards.

Please send materials to [email protected] with “names in the news” as the subject line.

31 YEARS yoUr VoICe FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2013 3

By Manuel Valdesthe AssoCiAteD Press

seAttle (AP) — emboldened by the critical role minorities played in the November elections, immigrant rights advocates in olympia want to play offense this year.

Activists are pushing lawmakers to provide state college fi-nancial aid for young immigrants who’ve won temporary resi-dent status, and they’re seeking to overhaul local elections to ensure better representation for minorities.

however, the power play by Democratic sen. rodney tom that gave republicans a ruling majority in the senate may stifle those efforts.

Already, republican sen. Don Benton of Vancouver has filed a bill that would bring back the often-debated issue of requiring proof of legal U.s. residency when obtaining a driver’s license.

Also, Benton and Democrat sen. tim sheldon, who defected with tom, are sponsoring a measure that would bar all illegal immigrants from in-state tuition and financial aid for college.

it’s not new that republicans have tried to pass the proof of U.s. residency rule, which Benton has included in a bill about a voter database. in 2011, senate republicans attempted to bring a vote through a procedural move, while they were still in the minority — at least one former senior Democratic senator also backed them. Proponents of such measures say failing to ask for proof of U.s. residency invites identity fraud and could end up putting noncitizens in the state’s voter rolls.

senate republican leader Mark schoesler of ritzville said he hadn’t yet seen the driver’s license bill, but said there was a problem with the way people obtain driver’s licenses here.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a vote on it in the past,” he said. “we’ll probably be looking at it again this year. we’re in a minority of states that has a driver’s license system like this.”

washington and New Mexico had been the only states with-out a proof of U.s. residency requirement until last month, when illinois changed its law in a move that will allow immigrants

who can’t prove their status to get a license. Utah has a two-tier license model that allows illegal immigrants to drive, but they can’t use the permit as identification.

it remains to be seen whether either of Benton’s measures will get a hearing in committee or if they will advance in their cur-rent form through the senate.

“we’re keeping an open mind,” said toby Guevin of oneAm-erica, an immigrant rights advocacy group, of what he expects of the senate this year.

Benton did not respond to interview requests, neither did republican leadership. Democrats in the senate minority also did not return interview requests, nor did Democratic Gov. in-slee’s office.

there were no sweeping exit polls conducted in washing-ton, but analyst Matt Barreto of polling outfit latino Decisions estimated that latinos in the state broke similarly for inslee as they did for President Barack obama, supporting each candi-date by about a 3 to 1 margin.

Asian American voters, which at 7 percent of the voting pool have a bigger share than latinos in washington, are also thought to have supported inslee similarly in the state, Barreto said.

Nationally, obama gained more than 70 percent of the votes among latinos and Asians. Just a few years ago, those two voting blocs were up for grabs. President George w. Bush took 40 percent of latino votes, compared to romney’s 23 percent. the dreary results from November prompted national repub-lican leaders to rethink their stance on immigration, and have helped fuel support for immigration reform, including a bipar-tisan plan in the U.s. senate.

so far this legislative session, activists have worked to lever-age that influence by pushing for college financial aid for young immigrants under the obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which grants temporary resident status to young people brought to this country by their parents. these immigrants already qualify for in-state tuition.

“you have a number of students who live here and are able to access work permits,” Guevin said. “we have a state that values hard work, and rewards hard work with opportunity.”

the last time the issue was considered was in 2009. Back then, state analysts assumed the change in law would add about 1,000 students statewide and cost about $7 million in a two-year budget cycle. the analysts, however, stressed that it was a rough estimate because it’s not known how many of these students live in washington and how many would enroll in college.

U.s. immigration and Citizenship services did not have data on how many people have applied for the temporary status pro-gram in washington state.

Advocates are also pushing to overhaul local elections.Under the so-called washington Voting rights Act, minority

groups are given a legal tool to challenge local elections that they think underrepresent them.

A house panel hearing on the bill brought a packed house this week. Proponents said latinos in central and eastern wash-ington are underrepresented in cities, where they make up a large section of the population. the bill allows minority groups to present complaints to a municipality, and if a solution is not presented, a lawsuit can be filed. City and school lobbyists said the bill is too vague and will invite lawsuits that are expensive.

the measure received backing from Democrats last year, but did not receive a floor vote. it’s unclear how much support the idea has in the senate.

longtime activist Craig keller of respect washington, which calls for strict immigration rules, doesn’t expect much move-ment on immigration issues this year in olympia. he’s pleased that a measure barring municipalities from using e-Verify, a federal program that checks a worker’s eligibility, is not back this year.

Associated Press writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report from Olympia, Wash.

■ CoMMUnITy neWs

Licenses, college aid shape Washington immigration debate


Dow ConstantineKing County Executive

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

WISHING YOU PROSPERITY!This month, thousands of residents across our region will celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and mark The Year of the Snake.

The �rst Chinese immigrants came to Washington state in the 1850s and 1860s to help build the infrastructure for a growing population, including almost every railway of the day. Descendants of those pioneers are now leading the region as entrepreneurs, educators, community activists, elected of�cials, high tech employees, and more.

As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, we also celebrate more than 160 years of contributions that King County’s Asian American community has made to the prosperity, innovative prowess, and culture of our region.

I also congratulate the staff members of the Northwest Asian Weekly and the Seattle Chinese Post for their continued commitment to empowering the Asian community.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

■ WorLd neWs

By Shaya Tayefe Mohajerthe AssoCiAteD Press

los ANGeles, Calif. (AP) — A Vietnamese American accused of conspiring to overthrow Vietnam’s communist government smiled broadly as he reunited with his family after he was deported back to the United states.

Nguyen Quoc Quan, who had been detained for nine months, was greeted by his wife, children, and other family members, who carried balloons and placed leis around his neck after he exited a plane the night of wednesday, Jan. 30 at los Angeles international Airport.

“i love you a lot, and i feel very near you every minute of jail,” he told his wife, huong Mai Ngo, in Vietnamese, then repeated in broken english for reporters. he pulled her to his side. “Now even closer,” he said with a smile.

he would only answer a few questions, promising to share details at a weekend news conference, including the contents of a handwritten letter he brought back from another prisoner.

he said he was proud of what he accomplished and would be willing to return, with his wife’s approval.

“the communist government of Vietnam can’t stop you, how can i?” she said.

Vietnamese authorities’ decision to release Quan contrasts with the long prison terms given to Vietnamese activists who are members of the same U.s.-based dissident group.

the release came after U.s. diplomatic pressure and removes an obvious thorn in relations between the former enemies. Both countries are trying to strengthen their ties in large part because of shared concerns over China’s emerging military and economic might, but American

concerns over human rights in one-party, authoritarian Vietnam are complicating this.

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Quan had “confessed to his crime” and asked for leniency to be reunited with his family.

Ngo said prior to his arrival that she doubted this was the case, suggesting that hanoi was seeking a face-saving way of allowing him to go home.

“i don’t believe it. they say that about everybody,” she said via telephone earlier wednesday. “if my husband was

prepared to do that (confess), he could have been released nine months ago.”

Quan didn’t address the issue with reporters at the airport.

Given the diplomatic sensitivities around the case, most observers had expected Quan to be released and quietly deported.

Quan, an American citizen, was arrested at ho Chi Minh City’s airport in April after arriving on a flight from the United states, where he has lived since fleeing Vietnam by boat as a young man. the 60-year-old is a leading member of Viet tan, a nonviolent pro-democracy group that Vietnamese authorities have labeled a terrorist organization. he was detained in 2007 in Vietnam for six months, also on charges relating to his pro-democracy activities, before being deported.

Authorities initially accused Quan of terrorism, but he was later charged with subversion against the state, which carries penalties ranging from 12 years in prison to death. earlier this month, 14 Vietnamese activists associated with Viet tan were sentenced to up to 13 years in jail.

Ngo said the U.s. consulate first informed her of his release.

“i can’t believe it,” she said. “i cried over the phone when i was told.”

in washington, U.s. state Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said it had no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens abroad. “it’s good news that he’s now been released,” she said.

Quan’s supporters didn’t deny that he had come to Vietnam from his home in California to teach non-violent

{see NGUYEN cont’d on page 18}

Vietnam deports US activist who was held for 9 months

Linda and I would like to wish

the Asian community happiness,

wealth and health in the Year

of the Snake.

Over the past two decades,

I have had the fortune of working with leaders

from the Asian community. We appreciate all the

support you have given me.

With your support, I was able to win a 5th term as

your Lieutenant Governor of Washington State. I

look forward to working with you for many more

years to better our state through your projects and

community empowerment.

Brad OwenLieutenant Governor

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■ WorLd neWs

By Nirmala Georgethe AssoCiAteD Press

New Delhi, india (AP) — Five men pleaded not guilty sat-urday, Feb. 2 after being formally indicted in a special court on 13 charges, including rape and murder, in the fatal gang rape of a woman in a New Delhi bus, a lawyer said.

the men signed statements in the fast-track court saying they were innocent of all charges, said one of the men’s law-yers. the lawyer cannot be identified under a gag order im-posed by the court.

the men were indicted on 13 counts, including rape, mur-der, destroying evidence, and kidnapping.

the court will begin hearing the evidence of witnesses on tuesday. if convicted, the five men, who are in their 20s and 30s, could face the death penalty.

A sixth suspect, who is 17, will be tried in a juve-nile court and could face a maximum sentence of three years in a reform facility if convicted.

Police say the victim and a male friend were at-tacked after boarding a bus Dec. 16 as they tried to return home after watching a movie. the six men, the only occupants of the private bus, beat the man with a metal bar, raped the woman, and used the bar to inflict massive internal injuries to her, police say. the victims were dumped naked on the road-side, and the woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a singapore hospital.

the brutal attack set off nationwide protests, sparking a debate about the treatment of women in

india and highlighting the inability of law enforcement agen-cies to protect them.

Also on saturday, women’s groups across the country slammed a decision by the government to bring changes in india’s rape laws through an ordinance.

A government panel set up after the outcry over the gang rape and weeks of street protests by students and women ex-amined india’s criminal justice system’s treatment of violence against women. After examining more than 80,000 submis-sions, the panel, headed by retired Chief Justice J.s. Verma, came out with a 630-page report recommending amendments to the laws governing crimes against women.

on Friday, Feb. 1, Prime Minister Manmohan singh’s Cabi-net approved an ordinance to introduce stricter penalties for crimes against women, including death in extreme cases of rape. it also approved increasing the maximum seven-year

sentence for rape to 20 years and imposing stiff punishments for crimes, such as stalking, cyber stalking, and voyeurism.

the ordinance has to be signed by President Pranab Mukherjee to become law. it would then have to be passed by Parliament within six months.

women activists have accused the government of ignor-ing many key suggestions of the panel, including prosecuting army and paramilitary soldiers accused of sexual offenses and barring politicians facing rape charges from contesting elec-tions.

“the ordinance is a complete betrayal of the faith people had reposed in the government,” said kavita krishnan, a women’s rights activist. “this is a fraud and the people are going to be out on the streets protesting this mockery of the

{see GANG RAPE cont’d on page 18}

5 accused men plead not guilty in India gang rape

By Jim Gomezthe AssoCiAteD Press

MANilA, Philippines (AP) — Abu sayyaf gun-men have freed two Filipino members of a Jorda-nian tV journalist’s crew who were kidnapped by the al-Qaida-linked militants last year, as they set out to interview the extremists in their jungle lairs in the southern Philippines, police said sunday, Jan. 31.

Policemen found frail-looking cameraman ramel Vela and audio technician roland letriro late satur-day and brought them to a hospital in southern sulu province, where they were kidnapped in June, along with Jordanian Baker Abdulla Atyani, provincial police chief senior superintendent Antonio Freyra said.

Atyani is believed to still be held by the gunmen in the jungles of sulu’s mountainous Patikul town, about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila.

“we’re so happy. we never thought we’d make it out alive,” a teary-eyed Vela said at his hospital bed, adding that he and letriro have not seen Aty-ani since the Jordanian was separated from them by their kidnappers five days after they were taken hostage.

Visibly thinner, shocked and with overgrown hair and beard, the two were examined by doctors and given bread and water in the sulu hospital, which was guarded by police and marines.

“they really lost weight because they were con-stantly under stress each day,” Freyra told the As-sociated Press.

An unspecified amount was paid to secure the

{see HOSTAGES cont’d on page 15}

Al-Qaida-linked militants free 2 Filipino hostages


■ CoMMUnITy CALendArTHU 2/7

WHAT: Bruce harrell for Mayor kick off PartyWHERE: First AMe Church, 1522 14th Ave., seattleWHEN: 6–8 p.m.INFO: 206-650-3545

WHAT: Black history Month film, “every Mother’s son”WHERE: seattle Public library, 2306 42nd Ave. s.w., seattleWHEN: 6 p.m.

WHAT: kkoCDoosehWHERE: Pantages theater, 901 Broadway, tacomaWHEN: 7 p.m.TICKETS: 360-540-5041, [email protected]

SAT 2/9

WHAT: NwAw/sCP presents, “Chinatown-international District lunar New year Celebration Children’s Parade Contest”WHERE: in front of NwAw/sCP office, 412 Maynard Ave. s., seattleWHEN: 1 p.m.APPLICATION: download at www.nwasianweekly.com or pick up a form at NwAw officeINFO: 206-223-5559, [email protected], www.nwasianweekly.com

WHAT: lunar New year FestivalWHERE: Chinatown-iD hing hay Park, Maynard Ave. s. & s. king st.WHEN: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

INFO: www.cidbia.org

WHAT: Celebrate the year of the snake with the wing!WHERE: the wing, 719 s. king st., seattleWHEN: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.INFO: wingluke.org/2013newyear

WHAT: APCC lunar New year CelebrationWHERE: tacoma Dome, 2727 east D st., tacomaWHEN: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.INFO: 253-383-3900, www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org

WHAT: korean American NightWHERE: tacoma New life Presbyterian Church, 9702 e. B st., tacomaWHEN: 4 p.m.

WHAT: 2013 Chinese New year eve Celebration PartyWHERE: stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 e. Mercer way, Mercer islandWHEN: 7:30 p.m.COST: $15/person with reservation, $20/at the doorRESERVATION: 425-737-9744, [email protected]

WHAT: Public meeting, “let’s build a movement for affordable childcare!”WHERE: Deldridge library, 4523 Deldridge way s.w., seattleWHEN: 2 p.m.INFO: 206-722-6057, [email protected], www.sistersorganizeforsurvival.org

WHAT: 2013 Chinese New year Black tie Gala Benefiting Bruce lee Action MuseumWHERE: sheraton seattle hotel, Grand BallroomWHEN: 6 p.m.INFO: gala2013.hkawfoundation.org

SAT 2/9 & SUN 2/10

WHAT: one earth tour 2013: legendWHERE: Uw, Meany hall for the Performing ArtsWHEN: 2/9 at 8 p.m., 2/10 at 2 p.m.COST: $41–$45INFO: uwworldseries.org/world-music-theatre/kodo

TUE 2/12

WHAT: the young Professional Ambassadors of Puget sound Blood Center present a happy hour eventWHERE: 921 terry Ave., seattleWHEN: 5:30–7:30 p.m.RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/event/5063547206/eac2

THU 2/14

WHAT: sayonara Consul ota, from Nikkei CommunitiesWHERE: NVC Memorial hall, 1212 s. king st., seattleWHEN: 2–4 p.m.REGISTER: www.jassw.org

SAT 2/16

WHAT: Annual Chinese New year Dinner

WHERE: tacoma szechuan, 9601 s. tacoma way, lakewoodWHEN: 6–9 p.m.TICKETS: crpfdinner.bpt.me

SUN 2/17

WHAT: Minidoka Pilgrimage 2013 taiko FundraiserWHERE: seattle University, 901 12th Ave., seattleWHEN: 1 p.m.COST: $10/students, $20/generalTICKETS: minidokataiko.brownpapertickets.com, 206-568-7114, seattle University international student Center

WHAT: Celebrating the 254th birthday of robert Burns and Chinese New yearWHERE: China harbor restaurant, 2040 westlake Ave. N., seattleWHEN: 4–8:30 p.m.COST: $35/ticketTICKETS: 206-364-6025, [email protected]

THU 2/21

WHAT: kABA Annual BanquetWHERE: washington Athletic Club, 1325 6th Ave., seattleWHEN: 5 p.m.RSVP: February 8, kaba-washington.org/2013-banquet-registrationINFO: kaba-washingon.org

WHAT: the Greater seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s 50th Anniversary lunar New year Banquet 2013WHERE: China harbor restaurant, 2040 westlake Ave.

N., seattleWHEN: 6 p.m.COST: $45/person, $600/corporate tableTICKETS: www.seattlechinesechamber.orgINFO: [email protected], 206-552-0818

SAT 2/23

WHAT: Japanese Noodle Cooking Demo with shirley karasawaWHERE: the wing, 719 s. king st., seattleWHEN: 3 p.m.COST: $25/members, $30/general admissionINFO: www.lovelylanvin.com

WHAT: the Bellevue Collection presents lunar New year CelebrationWHERE: Bellevue square in Center CourtWHEN: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.INFO: bellevuecollection.com/lunarnewyear

MON 2/25

WHAT: 9th Annual seattle-kobe Female Jazz Vocalist AuditionWHERE: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 6th Ave., seattleWHEN: 6:30–9:30 p.m.SUGGESTED DONATION: $5/students, $10/adults


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.

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412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. [email protected] • [email protected] • www.nwasianweekly.com

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■ nATIonAL neWs

By Jennifer Peltz and Larry Neumeisterthe AssoCiAteD Press

New york (AP) — A Chinese American mayoral hopeful’s reputa-tion and popularity may be at stake when his former campaign treasurer and fundraiser go on trial this week on charges of conspiring to break campaign finance laws to raise more money for him.

City Comptroller John liu has not been charged and is not expected to testify at his ex-aides’ conspiracy trial.

But the prosecution, coming as the city’s most heated may-oral race in years gets into full swing, is making the case into something of a trial of his political prospects.

the case is a fraught one for Asian Americans, many of

whom cheered the taiwan-born liu’s emergence as the com-munity’s first member to win citywide office in New york City. the city is home to about 1.5 million Asians, including the largest Chinese population outside Asia.

Asian Americans hoped liu would help raise their political profile, so “this thing happening is a tremendous shock and disappointment,” said Peter kwong, an Asian American stud-ies and urban affairs professor at hunter College.

liu’s ex-campaign treasurer, Jia “Jenny” hou, and for-mer liu fundraiser Xing “oliver” wu Pan are facing federal charges of conspiring to break campaign finance laws. Feder-al prosecutors say the two circumvented a $4,950 contribution limit by using straw donors — essentially, funneling money from one contributor through another — and by allowing the candidate to claim greater matching funds, so they could boost the Democrat’s campaign war chest.

Both hou, 26, of Queens, and Pan, of hudson County, N.J., have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and attempted wire

fraud. hou also has pleaded not guilty to obstructing justice and making false statements. the trial was scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 28, but was delayed until at least wednesday because of questions raised about the mental health condition of Pan.

the trial, likely to last several weeks, comes as campaign-ing gears up in the race to replace term-limited Mayor Mi-chael Bloomberg, who is finishing his third term.

As the trial looms, the 46-year-old liu has not avoided the subject, sometimes joking that his nickname is “embattled comptroller.”

in recent years, he has tried to project an image as a strong mayoral contender who can draw support from two important Democratic constituencies, minority communities and labor unions. A former city councilman, he has striven as comp-troller to position himself as a fiscal watchdog, putting more

{see LIU cont’d on page 17}

Ex-aides trial puts Chinese American politician in spotlight

By Staffthe AssoCiAteD Press

hACkeNsACk, N.J. (AP) — After notic-ing plaques at the local courthouse com-memorating slavery, the holocaust, and oth-er atrocities, korean American community leader Chejin Park had the idea of adding a tribute to the “comfort women” of world war ii.

to his surprise, the gesture to honor the more than 200,000 mostly korean and Chi-nese women forced to provide sex for Japa-nese soldiers would make his New Jersey town a flashpoint in an international contro-versy.

local officials rejected a request by Japa-nese officials to take down the first plaque put up just over two years ago in Palisades Park, just outside New york City, where a

majority of residents are of korean descent.But now, the dedication of a second marker,

this one at the courthouse, has been held up until the wording can be changed to remove a reference to the Japanese government.

the top government official in Bergen County, kathleen Donovan, said the delay is not due to any new pressure from Japanese officials.

Donovan and the county’s legislative body had asked that the second plaque state that Japan’s imperial army, not the Japanese gov-ernment, was responsible for what happened to the women, Donovan said.

“our monument is not anti-Japanese gov-ernment. it is pro-comfort women,” she said. “we want to be very clear that it was the

{see COMFORT WOMEN cont’d on page 17}

By Staffthe AssoCiAteD Press

los ANGeles, Calif. (AP) — A now-shut-tered southern California sushi restaurant and two of its chefs were indicted on conspiracy and other charges for allegedly serving illegal and endangered whale meat, authorities said Friday, Feb. 1.

Federal prosecutors said sushi chefs kiyo-shiro yamamoto and susumu Ueda ordered the whale meat from fish importer Ginichi ohira, and served it at the hump restaurant in santa Monica. Authorities said ohira falsely described the product as fatty tuna on invoices and delivered it to the restaurant.

ohira pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegally selling a marine mammal product.

the nine-count indictment thursday named

typhoon restaurant inc., the restaurant’s par-ent company, and the sushi chefs. if convicted, 48-year-old yamamoto, of Culver City, faces up to 67 years in prison, and 39-year-old Ueda, of lawndale, faces a maximum 10-year term. the company would face fines totaling $1.2 million if found guilty.

Court documents show that on one

{see CHEFS cont’d on page 19}

Tensions linger over US ‘comfort women’ plaques

2 Calif. chefs charged with serving whale

John Liu

Sei whale sushi


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■ nATIonAL neWs

By Matthew Dalythe AssoCiAteD Press

wAshiNGtoN, D.C. (AP) — energy secretary steven Chu, who won a Nobel Prize in physics but came under questioning for his handling of a solar energy loan, is stepping down.

Chu offered his resignation to President Barack obama in a letter Friday, Feb. 1. he said he will stay on at least until the end of February and may stay until a successor is confirmed.

Chu’s departure had been widely expected and follows an-nouncements by interior secretary ken salazar; environmen-tal Protection Agency Chief lisa Jackson; and Jane lubchenco, head of the National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that they are leaving.

the white house said no decisions have been made on re-placements for any of the environment and energy jobs, but said obama’s priorities will remain unchanged. Potential replace-ments for Chu include former North Dakota sen. Byron Dorgan, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and former washing-ton Gov. Christine Gregoire.

obama said in a statement Friday that Chu brought a “unique understanding of both the urgent challenge presented by climate change and the tremendous opportunity that clean energy repre-sents for our economy.”

During his tenure, Chu helped move the country toward en-ergy independence, obama said, referring to billions of dollars in energy Department loans to boost renewable energy, such as wind and solar power.

“thanks to steve, we also expanded support for our brightest engineers and entrepreneurs as they pursue groundbreaking in-novations that could transform our energy future,” obama said.

Chu, 64, a former director of the lawrence Berkeley National lab in California, had little political experience before taking the energy post in 2009.

he drew fire from congressional republicans who criticized his handling of a $528 million federal loan to solar panel maker solyndra, which later went bankrupt, laying off its 1,100 work-ers. republicans said Chu and other energy Department officials

missed many warning signs about problems at solyndra and compounded them by approving a restructuring of the loan even after problems were discovered.

solyndra was the first renewable-energy company to receive a loan guarantee under the 2009 stimulus law, and the obama administration frequently promoted the company as a model for its clean energy program. Chu attended a 2009 groundbreaking when the loan was announced, and obama visited the company’s Fremont, Calif. headquarters the next year.

the company’s implosion in 2011 and revelations that the ad-ministration hurried a review of the loan in time for the ground-

breaking became an embarrassment for Chu and obama and a rallying cry for GoP critics of the administration’s green energy program.

lawmakers also criticized Chu for approving the plan to re-structure solyndra’s debt so that two private investors moved ahead of taxpayers for repayment in case of default.

Chu defended the solyndra loan during a sometimes testy hearing in late 2011. while calling the ultimate outcome “regret-table,” Chu said the loan was subject to “proper, rigorous scrutiny and healthy debate” before it was approved in 2009.

“while we are disappointed in the outcome of this particular loan, we support Congress’ mandate to finance the deployment of innovative technologies and believe that our portfolio of loans does so responsibly,” Chu said.

the white house said Chu retained obama’s confidence, but Chu was widely expected to leave following obama’s re-election last fall.

in a letter to energy Department employees, Chu said he was proud of his tenure and cited dozens of accomplishments, includ-ing doubling the production of renewable energy from wind and solar power. installations of solar electric systems have nearly doubled in each of the last three years, he said, while fully 42 percent of new energy capacity in the United states last year was from wind — more than any other energy source.

“i came with dreams and am leaving with a set of accomplish-ments that we should all be proud of,” he said.

one of his accomplishments was something that Chu rarely talked about, but was frequently cited by obama: Chu’s role in helping to plug the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Chu and a team of engineers helped to devise an interim solution before a replacement well permanently plugged the leak, which spewed more than 200 million gallons of oil in the worst offshore oil disaster in the country’s history.

Chu came up with the solution “when nobody else could figure it out,” obama said Friday. “And that’s typical of the incredible contributions that he’s made to this country.”

{see CHU cont’d on page 18}

Energy Secretary Chu to step down

Steven Chu

By Jane HanNew AMeriCA MeDiA

New york ― For certain privileged korean moms-to-be, their baby’s first gifts aren’t toys, rattles, or clothes. it’s U.s. citizenship.

All it takes is $50,000 and a three-month trip to the United states, but authorities here are about to make things tougher for this unwel-comed crowd they label “birth tourists.”

the first and most aggressive clampdown is set to begin in los Angeles, the top delivery destination among pregnant korean women.

the crackdown target? Maternity hotels.“this is just an absolutely illegal operation,

jeopardizing the health of the mother and the baby,” los Angeles County supervisor Don knabe said last week.

one Chinese-operated facility, a large man-sion subdivided into 17 bedrooms and 17 bath-rooms, was shut down a few weeks ago for code enforcement violations.

the next to go may easily be one of the doz-ens of birthing hotels run by koreans in and around downtown los Angeles.

“we’re all keeping a careful lookout,” said kim, a maternity helper who refused to give her full name.

According to her, more than 20 expectant and new moms are currently housed in the unit where she has been working for the past two years.

“it’s a busy place. People constantly come and go,” she said, adding that some women stay on a tight two-month schedule, but most stay for three months, the allowed time in the

United states under the Visa waiver Program (VwP).

People in the “industry” say the number of pregnant women from korea who flew in to give birth quadrupled since the VwP took ef-fect in November 2008.

“we need a common sense solution to fix the flawed interpretation of the Constitution’s citizenship clause,” representative steve king, a republican who represents iowa, said in a statement last month.

According to the 14th Amendment, babies born in the United states are automatically eli-gible to become U.s. citizens.

“the current practice of extending U.s. citi-zenship to hundreds of thousands of anchor ba-bies must end and because it creates a magnet for illegal immigration into our country. Now is the time to ensure that the laws in the country do not encourage law breaking.”

king, who has long fought to stop automatic citizenship, introduced a bill last month that would deny handing U.s. passports to anchor babies.

it’s uncertain whether the recent move will pick up much steam, but critics and supporters of birthright citizenship alike say permanent changes are unlikely.

“this is the 14th Amendment we’re talking about,” says kim ki-woong, an immigration lawyer based in New york. “it’s something that just can’t be changed overnight.”

while the birth tourism industry itself is not illegal, authorities are still expected to step up crackdowns on zoning code violations to keep maternity hotels under control.

US targets Korean birth tourists


■ AT The MoVIes

By Andrew HamlinNorthwest AsiAN weekly

Many people were curious about “the last stand” because it marks action superstar Arnold schwarzenegger’s first return to the silver screen since leaving office as governor of Cali-fornia. however, i was reluctant to watch another film from south korean director Ji-woon kim, since i gave his gore-drowned film “i saw the Devil” zero stars and consider it to be the Very worst Film ever Made (that i’ve seen so far, anyway). still, director kim also made a zany, sometimes-interesting korean western called “the Good, the Bad, the weird,” and, bolstered by an encouraging trailer, i set off to watch his new film, which is kim’s first movie shot in the west and the first with an english-language cast.

As it turns out, the presence of a (korean) western on kim’s wide-ranging resume helped the director greatly. “the last stand” isn’t a western in a strict sense — schwarzenegger’s sheriff character, ray owens, rides no horse and the streets of his small town of sommerton Junction, Ariz., has pickup trucks, school buses, and one sweet-looking Mustang, but no hitching posts.

But, to quote the well-known western and action film di-rector walter hill, “the western is ultimately a stripped down moral universe that is, whatever the dramatic problems are, beyond the normal avenues of social control and social alle-viation of the problem, and i like to do that even within con-temporary stories.”

By this standard, then, “the last stand” easily qualifies as a western.

For ray owens, trying to lead a quiet life in a sleepy town, the “beyond normal” problem arrives in the form of a latino

drug lord, played by eduardo Noriega, who’s broken out of federal custody and is headed for the Mexican border in an impossibly souped-up Corvette. he’s heavily armed, has an FBi agent (Genesis rodriguez) hostage, and, worst of all, he comes complete with a mini-army.

the desolate desert location fits an essentially western mo-

tif, as does the principle (expressed best in the masterful west-ern “rio Bravo”) of a small, rag-tag band of lawmen (and law-women) against a much larger, more powerful congregation of wrongdoers. Against Noriega’s small army, schwarzenegger must contend with only a few loyal deputies and townspeople, among them the town drunk (rodrigo santoro) and the town weirdo (Johnny knoxville, trying to carve out an acting ca-reer after too much bodily injury on the “Jackass” show).

kim sets the scene and lets all hell break loose, even if longtime western (and action) fans will recognize a few of his setups. A climactic charge of two vehicles through a seemingly-endless field of corn comes straight out of “the hunter,” steve McQueen’s last film. the final “stand” be-tween hero and villain, respective posses forgotten, sug-gests, as must all such standoffs, the classic “high Noon.” in the end, kim’s movie is a western at heart in one more crucial manner. its heroes may be human, but they’re judged, ultimately, by how they manifest the finer ideals of humanity. they may waver — they certainly feel fear — but they must, in the end, stand up for justice, righteousness, moral correct-ness, and honor. honor, which, ray owens attests, is not for sale.

kim’s film wavers from the western ideal in places. the ex-cessive blood-spurt could have been curtailed, and like many modern action directors, he’s a little too fond of the imperson-ality in huge explosions. Characters, not big booms, carry the day. we watch ray owens the sheriff, and Arnold schwar-zenegger the man, take their lickings and (fortunately) keep most of their blood on the inside.

“The Last Stand” is currently playing in several theaters in and around Seattle. Check local listings for prices and show-times.

Andrew Hamlin can be reached at [email protected].

Taking the Last Stand


■ on The sheLf

By Samantha PakNorthwest AsiAN weekly

Tiger’s DestinyBy Colleen HouckSplinter, 2012

it’s three quests down and one to go for kelsey hayes, ren, and kishan, as they con-tinue to work to break the curse that forces the two brothers to live part of their days as tigers.

in the last three books in houck’s tiger saga series, we have seen the trio battle dead-ly sea monkeys, a giant snake, a monstrous shark, and more. the final installment is no different. “Destiny” is filled with mythical creatures, evil beings, and even has a little bit of time travel thrown in as well.

As kelsey, ren, and kishan work to break the curse, they also have to figure out a way to defeat lokesh, the evil sorcerer who cursed the brothers in the first place three centuries ago. And if that weren’t enough, kelsey also has to sort out how she feels about ren and kishan and finally make a choice between the two once and for all.

even though kelsey’s true feelings are ob-vious to the reader, and we know whom she’ll end up with, she is still torn. this admittedly drove me a bit crazy, but i do understand the reasons behind some of her choices. she’s been burned and hurt before and opts for the “safer” of the two brothers in order to protect herself.

Despite finding herself in the middle of a heart-wrenching love triangle, kelsey is a (mostly) rational young woman and pulls her own weight in breaking the brothers’ curse.

Aside from a few moments here and there, she’s able to compartmentalize her feelings and focus on their mission when needed.

And while kelsey may be the girl of the group and lokesh’s target, she is no damsel in distress. she puts up a great fight and is a force to be reckoned and feared.

Hot in HereBy Susan LyonsKensington, 2006

when journalist Jenny yuen is assigned to cover a firefighter calendar competition for a newspaper in Vancouver, she has no objec-tions. After all, it’s no hardship to sit there

and watch good-looking men strut their stuff down the runway and get paid to write about it.

But as each firefighter shows off their moves, Jenny finds herself drawn to Mr. Feb-ruary, scott Jackman.

Jenny introduces herself after the show. the two immediately hit it off. they strike up a relationship, but the relationship is purely physical since she knows that there is no way her traditional Chinese family will accept a white guy as a potential partner for her. of course this backfires as the two indulge in their wildest fantasies and begin to fall for each other.

As with any romance novel, we know Jen-

ny and scott will end up together, but it’s how they get there that is always fun to read.

their journey is particularly enjoyable be-cause while it initially appears as if scott has a fetish for Asian women, we soon realize his passions lie with Jenny herself. Although, i did find the scene in which Jenny dresses up as a geisha per his request particularly amusing. she goes all out and acts like a true geisha, rather than the sexualized stereotype most people – including scott – see perpetu-ated.

As a young Asian American woman who grew up in the states, i was also able to relate

{see SHELF cont’d on page 17}

Love, it’s complicated


Normally, when i’m invited to a mainstream event, i have high expectations for their pro-gram and networking opportunities, but low expectations for their diversity. Don’t blame me, that’s the way many events are in seattle — white and exclusive. i am usually one of the few women of color.

But the seattle Business Magazine’s inaugu-ral executive excellence Awards dinner on Jan. 31 at the Four seasons surprised me with its presentation of diverse leaders, including three persons of color and six women. it’s smart on their part to include non-profit Ceos.

out of 14 honorees, the biggest award went to an Asian American leader.

Jerry lee, chairman of Mulvanny G2 Archi-tecture, received the sBM lifetime Achieve-ment Award.

other honorees included Colleen Brown, president and Ceo of Fisher Communications; Jeff Christianson, executive Vice President and General Counsel of F5 Networks; Melanie Dres-sel, President and Ceo of Columbia Bank; ezra eckhardt, President and Coo of sterling Bank; kathryn Flores, CAo of Child Care resources of king County; Megan karch, Ceo of Fare-start; Dara khosrowshahi, President and Ceo of expedia; Marcia Mason, Vice President and General Counsel of the esterline Corperation; Bryan Mistele, President and Ceo of inrix; kathleen Philips, General Counsel of Zillow; Peter rose, Chairman and Ceo of expeditors international; steve singh, Chairman and Ceo of Concur technologies; and Mary ellen stone, executive Director of king County sexual As-sault resource Center.

the program was also interesting. in addi-tion to acceptances from the winners, a video interview was featured that was filled with insights on leadership from former Governor Christine Gregoire, seattle University President Father stephen sundborg, former king County executive ron sims, and others. Many award winners were fantastic speakers, speaking with humor and passion. the master of ceremonies, John levesque, sBM’s own managing editor, was witty and a quick thinker.

KOMO beats KING for the first timethe most shocking news of the night was

from Fisher Communications Ceo Colleen Brown, one of the most prominent honorees.

For the first time in 23 years, koMo tV is now the number one network for evening news. “we have beat the reigning kiNG,” she said. the timing of the seattle Business Magazine awards couldn’t have been better, as Brown announced the news to a room of over 300 executives. koMo anchors sitting amongst the crowd — Mary Nam, steve Pool, and Dan lewis — couldn’t be more proud. As soon as

Brown ended her speech, the three rushed out and headed back to the koMo studio for their evening news program at 11 p.m.

A decade ago, the Asian weekly wrote about how koMo lacked diversity in its newsroom. At the time, kiNG had the most diverse news-cast. Now, koMo has two Asian American anchors during their prime time news program, including Molly shen.

After joining the company after five straight years of losses, Brown turned the company around, not only with a net profit of $36 million in 2011, but also by initiating innovations such as starting Datasphere, an internet company that offers hyper local news on mobile phones.

All good things happen at oncethe only honoree absent from the event was

Dara khosrowshahi, Ceo of expedia. he was witnessing something even more exciting — his wife was giving birth to twin boys.

Born in tehran, iran, khosrowshahi, 52, has an engineering degree and work experience in finance and technology. expedia had $3.4 bil-lion in revenue in 2011. Dara’s salary is not bad either — close to $5 million, according to a couple websites.

Expeditors International’s Asian rootsexpeditors international’s Chairman and

Ceo Peter rose and his partners were drinking beer in hong kong when the company’s idea was born, according to sBM. the partners, in-cluding James wang, drew plans for a business on a cocktail napkin. they pooled their resourc-es together and started with $300,000. Now, the

company has grown to $6.2 billion in revenue and $386 million in profits in 2011. they employ 13,000 employees out of 250 offices around the world.

Precious networkingthere were lots of movers and shakers in

the room, including herb Bridge, Ben Bridge Jeweler co-chair; tay yoshitani, Port of seattle Ceo; and seattle University Business school Dean Joseph M. Phillips.

Many times i have walked into an event and ended up meeting no one. however, sBM had guests who were eager to mingle. i reconnected with people i had met years ago who remem-bered me, as well as some rising stars in the business world.

the Asian weekly also hosted a big event — the women of Color empowered lunch — on the same day as the sBM event. Fortunately, sBM’s gala was in the evening, and i still had energy to go another round.

i was elated to be there to cheer for Jerry lee. As he said, Mulvanny G2 might not be the largest architectural firm, but his commitment towards the community and impressive philan-thropy beat the other Ceos. he was the only honoree receiving a standing ovation.

oPInIon

■ PUbLIsher’s bLog

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.

when i was a child, i followed some silly lunar New year traditions. My family wouldn’t bathe on the first day because in Chinese culture, it is believed that all your wealth will be washed away. we wouldn’t clean our house either, be-cause we’d be doomed to lose our for-tune.

But there’s a fine line between tradi-tions and superstition. looking back, it was more of the latter that my parents and i were scared of taking a bath on that “first holy day” of the New year.

it’s foolish to follow traditions blindly. how can you be happy when you live with unnecessary restrictions on your life? sure, i can skip cleaning my home because i am lazy, but skipping a shower, no way. i have been showering on New year’s day for decades. Maybe, that’s the cause of all my poverty!

there are also rules on food dur-ing the lunar New year. the types of food you eat are supposed to bring you luck and happiness. take oysters for in-stance, it is said that a stewed vegetable dish with dried oyster will bring you good luck because the name of the dish is a homophone of “making money and good things”.

Unfortunately, i hate dried oysters.

i don’t mind having dried oyster soup, which is delicious, but to actually put one into my mouth would be a battle of resistance from my heart and mouth.

“well, if you want good fortune,” my late grandma would say, “you have to eat at least one during the lunar New year.”

i used to gulp down one dried oyster in front of her as a gesture of obedience, rather than out of fear of not having wealth.

what grandma didn’t know though is that her granddaughter has a rebellious streak — she’ll be good at breaking the rules when she gets old. why can’t i cre-ate my own lucky dinner for New years?

i guess if i want good things to happen for the newspapers, i better have an oys-ter dish. But why use dried oysters when you can have fresh ones?

when i was in hawaii in January, one oyster dish listed in a restaurant was $80, while most of the other items were about $40. why was it so expensive?

“these oysters are [imported] from washington state,” said a waitress.

when i heard that, i felt blessed liv-ing here with the abundance of seafood at my fingertips. For those who live or work in the international District, it is a gift to have fresh seafood and produce

readily available in the Asian groceries.to prepare for my New year dinner,

we buy fresh live oysters from Uwaji-maya. there are quite a few kinds in the seafood department. some folks like to eat them raw, but we prefer to treat the “suckers” with fanfare, Chinese-style.

we pick the Pacific oysters live from the tank. if you rather not do that, Uwa-jimaya staff is ready to serve.

Pacific oysters are about $10 for a dozen. each one is about three to four-and-a-half inches long. our experience has shown that the Pacific ones are easy to open when cooked.

Not only are oysters lucky, there are also considered to be an anti-aging food. rich in calcium, iron, selenium, and Vi-tamins A and B12, it is also low in calo-ries. A few sources even said it could increase levels of sex hormones.

if you don’t want the trouble of cook-ing the oysters, several Chinese restau-rants offer steamed live oysters. or you can request the cooks prepare the oysters deep-fried, pan-fried, boiled, hot-pot style, with black bean sauce, with spicy sauce, baked with milk sauce, roasted, or steamed with gourmet soup, however you like. Just call in advance to order.

Bon appetite!

Modernizing my Lunar New Year dinner

Directions1. Put the oysters in a steamer until cooked. we steam them in a rice cooker. each time, we can only steam two, as they are big for our cooker. it takes about 3–4 minutes to cook each pair. A stubborn oyster might take about 5 minutes to cook, so you can crack them open.2. Chop green onions and ginger.3. After the oysters are cooked, lay shredded green onions and ginger on top of each oyster. 4. heat oil and pour the hot oil on top of the green onions and ginger. 5. heat soy. Pour hot soy on top of the oil.serve while it’s hot.

A Night at the Executive Excellence Awards

Peter RoseSteve Singh

Phot

o by

Ass

unta

Ng

The cover of the Seattle Business magazine’s Executive Excellence Awards issue featuring Mulvanny G2 chairman Jerry Lee.

From left to right: Kristen (daughter), Charlene (wife), Jerry Lee, and Colleen (daughter)

Colleen Brown

Phot

os b

y Jo

hn C

urry


oPInIon

■ edITorIAL

By Sun Lee Chang

on sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, we will see the year of the Drag-on come to a close and the year of the snake will begin to unfold. of the five associated elements for each animal in the Chinese Zodiac — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — the coming year will be the year of the water snake.

For many, the closing of the year of the Dragon, with all its fanfare and drama, is a welcome event. Perhaps this is an instance of excitement being overrated. with the subtle strengths associated with the snake, such as cunning, refine-ment, and serenity, there promises to be more focus on stabil-ity and calm.

while overnight success and sudden change is less likely in the coming year, that is probably for the better. Common sense tells us that which is built slowly and sturdily has a bet-ter chance of being sustained long-term. the finer things in life will come, just not right away.

As we shed unrealistic expectations in favor of more prag-matic ones, the following are predictions of the impact of the water snake in the areas of work and love in the coming year.

Ratyou are needed now as much as ever, but

in a different role. how well you transition depends on how accepting you are of your new position.

Work: the returns do not have to be equivalent to the energy you put in. there

is a way to work smarter and not harder.Love: A natural charm will attract many to your corner. Be

careful of those who would be jealous of your attractiveness.

Oxhave you been turned around so many

times that your head feels like it is spinning? reach out to steady yourself before moving forward.

Work: there is no doubt that you have a reputation for working hard and persever-

ance, but you should let other sides of your personality show as well.

Love: if you are not feeling comfortable with the way things are, then it is up to you to initiate the dialogue for change.

Tigeryour single greatest strength and weak-

ness are one and the same. it is within you to be your own best advocate.

Work: A quick temper must be kept in check. Attempt to keep your cool, as you

figure out how best to handle what arises.Love: Vanity is an indulgence that can cause friction if you

let it. look beyond just surface appeal.Rabbit

there is no going back once you have made up your mind to shift gears. you are in uncharted territory now, but that is what you wanted.

Work: is it a means to an end or some-thing else? how you think about your job could go through a major evolution this year.

Love: lofty ideals aside, the reality of a relationship is how you treat one another from day to day, not just during special occasions.

DragonFor all the grand schemes and scenarios

you are able to envision, the simplest one is the one that ends up making you the most content.

Work: the last thing you want to hear is excuses from yourself and everyone else. Make clear what needs to happen.

Love: A key relationship is not to be taken for granted. Nur-ture it as you would anything you hold precious and dear.

Snaketake advantage of the insight that is of-

fered to you. it will shed light into parts of your life that had once been in the dark.

Work: there is almost an obsessive quality about you that helps you get things

done. Direct it towards the areas that really matter.Love: where once there was uncertainty and tension, you

will be relieved to find acceptance and a new ease.

Horsethe plot thickens in the year ahead. sev-

eral interesting characters will come and go, making this a year to remember.

Work: though your goals have remained constant for a while, the means by which to

achieve them are probably going to undergo a significant re-adjustment.

Love: Being appreciated for who you are is important, so it should not be surprising that your partner would want that, too.

Goatlearn to let go of petty grievances, so that

your energy can be spent on something more pleasant.

Work: whether you are at your dream job or just starting out, gain more satisfaction

from work by letting your personality shine through.

Love: throw out your old checklist and leave the baggage at home. Come in fresh, leaving prejudgments at the door.

Monkey

As the center of a vast network of friends, you are constantly in touch with many peo-ple. there are instances where you should al-low yourself to unplug.

Work: there is little doubt that you are at the height of your game. Don’t be afraid to

ask for what is your due.Love: whether for love or friendship, the bonds you have

now are going to see you through the good times and the bad.

Roosterwhy watch the party when you have

been invited to join in? Get off the sidelines and be a part of the action.

Work: Although your directness and honesty is generally appreciated, there are some who may not take kindly to the way

you operate.Love: if you seem to overeager at the start, it may be

misperceived as desperation. tone down the intensity a mea-sure or two.

Dogenjoyment for enjoyment’s sake is almost

a foreign concept to you. Give yourself per-mission to partake in pleasure every now and then.

Work: when backed into a corner, your natural instincts kick in. Beware the person

who dares to question your ability to give as good as you get.Love: No one can question your availability for those you

love, but there is a point where you have to draw the line.

Pigyou now have the resources to take

some risks. however, you are content holding on to what you have.

Work: have you had enough of paving the way for someone else to get ahead?

only turn the tables if you are ready to make your mark.Love: you are in no hurry to settle down. when the mo-

ment is right, you won’t have any reservations about making a commitment.

Sun Lee Chang can be reached at [email protected].

Astrological Predictions for 2013 – The Year of the Snake■ AsTroLogy

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, 2013Horse 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 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.

racist-themed fraternity parties have become old news now — they have cropped so often that they don’t really surprise anyone anymore. As offensive as they are, they’ve almost be-come expected, and that’s a shame.

the racist, Asian-themed party hosted by the Duke chap-ter of kappa sigma last Friday, Feb. 1 is one of those cases, and it would have almost slipped under the radar if not for the work of the Asian and Pacific American students and minority student organizations on the Duke campus. the worst part of the Duke case is the blatant disrespect shown by the campus organization — one that had its charter stripped and operated off campus until just last year.

when people complained about their racist invitation, which was full of misspellings meant to replicate an “Asian” accent and included a picture of a puppet kim Jong-il, the chapter was dismissive. they “cancelled the event” and an-nounced a new one, named “international relations.” it was the same party.

the campus organization only apologized following pres-sure from other students, but the apology seems hollow, con-sidering the chapter’s behavior when it wasn’t in trouble.

Unfortunately, antics like this overshadow the good that Greek organizations do. For each ill-advised party or hazing incident, there are many more philanthropic projects, enduring

friendships, and valuable lessons learned. the root of Greek organizations is inclusion, after all. Fraternities and sororities are there to provide support and fellowship for their members. But it’s missteps like this that grab the headlines.

the kappa sigma national organization understands the gravity of the situation. they’ve suspended the chapter, stop-ping all Fraternity activities, and are investigating. this party, which has been held annually, should have been a red flag during the rechartering process, but disciplinary action now is better than disciplinary action never.

Duke party is a sign of larger issues


International District Emergency Center would like to thank all who supported us at last year’s 30th Anniversary events for Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post newspapers!

You raised over $20,000 to support IDEC programs! Your donations will be used to purchase emergency supplies, staff aid stations at community events, and provide safety patrols in the International District.

Special thanks to Assunta Ng and the NWAW/SCP staff and volunteers. LET US ALL WORK TOGETHER FOR A SAFE AND VIBRANT COMMUNITY!

Have a safe & happy Lunar New Year of the Snake!

Happy Lunar New Year!

■ WorLd neWs

By Didi Tangthe AssoCiAteD Press

BeiJiNG, China (AP) — A truck that exploded and caused an elevated stretch of a highway to collapse in central China, killing 10 people, was loaded with holiday fireworks that were illegally produced and transported, authorities said satur-day, Feb. 2.

local authorities have shut down the company that made the fireworks, hongsheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co. ltd., and detained four com-pany officials following Friday’s blast, state me-dia reported.

it remained unclear what set off the fireworks as they were shipped eastward on a major high-way through henan province. state-run China Central television said witnesses believed a col-lision caused by heavy smog might have triggered the blast, which occurred about 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of the ancient city of luoyang.

the Ministry of Public security said hong-sheng, based in the neighboring province of shaanxi, had illegally produced the explosives, packaged them in disguise and contracted with a trucking company unlicensed to handle hazard-ous commodities.

it said the factory had failed to check the cre-dentials of the trucking company’s personnel.

the state-run China News said the explosives had been declared as general commodities.

Preliminary investigations blamed the explo-sion for the collapse of the 80-meter (260-foot) stretch of the elevated highway in Mianchi county, sending trucks and sedan cars plummet-ing 24 meters (79 feet) to the ground, according to a statement by the provincial government of henan.

Most of those who were killed died from the fall, CCtV said. eleven people were injured.

Photos by state media and television footage showed hunks of concrete, overturned trucks, and crumpled cars in the debris. in one photo, a truck’s back wheels were perched at the edge of a shorn-off section of the highway.

“it was horrible. it was horrible,” survivor hou Chunlin murmured from his hospital bed in an interview by CCtV.

Fireworks are a major part of the festivities surrounding the Chinese lunar New year, which falls on Feb. 10 this year. to meet the demand, fireworks are made, shipped, and stored in large quantities, sometimes in unsafe conditions.

As a result, there are periodic catastrophes. in 2006, on the first day of the lunar New year, a storeroom filled with fireworks exploded at a temple fair in henan, killing 36 people and in-juring dozens more. in 2000, an unlicensed fireworks factory in southern China exploded, killing 33 people, including 13 primary and sec-ondary school students working there.

Chinese truck explosion caused by illegal fireworks

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freedom of the two captives, according to three security officials who have been closely monitoring the kidnappings. the three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not autho-rized to talk to reporters.

Military officials have said Abu sayyaf militants have de-manded 130 million pesos ($3.1 million) for the release of Atyani and his two crew members.

hundreds of rebels from the larger Moro National liberation Front, which signed a 1996 autonomy deal with the government, have also been negotiating with the Abu sayyaf for the release of Atyani and other foreign hostages, including two european bird watchers who were abducted last year.

Moro commander khabir Malik said his group had taken the initiative to seek the freedom of the hostages to help the gov-ernment clean up the image of sulu, a predominantly Muslim province, where the Abu sayyaf has carried out deadly bomb-ings, kidnappings for ransom, and beheadings, primarily in the early 2000s.

U.s.-backed military offensives have crippled the Abu sayyaf in recent years, but it remains a national security threat. wash-ington has listed the group as a terrorist organization.

Malik said last week that he met with an Abu sayyaf com-mander, Jul-Asman sawadjaan, to seek the release of Atyani and his two crew members, who were believed to be held in the jungles of sulu’s mountainous Patikul town. But the extremists refused to release their captives to the Moro rebels, Malik said.

Malik had suggested that his armed group could consider other options, including a rescue, to secure the captives’ freedom from the smaller Abu sayyaf group.

Abu sayyaf gunmen handed the two Filipinos to still-un-

{WOC cont’d from page 1}

unite communities and to create a more inclusive society. they were honored for their work at the tri-annual women of Color empowered luncheon hosted at the New hong kong restaurant on thursday, Jan. 31. the luncheon was hosted by Natasha Burrows of highline Community College and hon-ored Carmen Aguiar, Debbie Bird, ellen Ferguson, Vivian lee, Pearl leung, Jane Nishita, Nikki Gane, yoshiko harden, tina kuckkahn-Miller, washington women in Need, sharon Parker, and Manuelita ybarra.

their endeavors have brought people together, creating a more inclusive and friendlier seattle.

Bridges across timeMany of the bridge builders honored thursday had drawn

strength from their past.yoshiko harden, the Vice President of Diversity in the of-

fice of equity and Pluralism at Bellevue College was inspired by the sacrifices of her grandmother.

“i just want to share some things,” yoshiko harden said. “the first one is the first bridge builder in my life: my grand-mother. she left school in the 3rd grade to become a share-cropper. she spent the last 50 years of her life working as a maid in the homes of affluent families, but she always told me to go to school, to get my education. i thought of her when my daughter entered third grade — this is when grandma stopped going to school.”

with her grandmother’s words in mind, harden co-devel-oped a parents of color group at the seattle Girls’ school, which her 11-year-old daughter leila attends. the group pro-vides support for parents of color, helping them build a com-munity, and support to better integrate into the “sGs” parent experience.

Bride building is also a personal experience for Nikki Gane, who is the founder of Dignity for Divas, an organization that provides basic hygiene items to homeless women.

she founded the organization after leaving a difficult mar-riage in 2006 and finding herself 3,000 miles away from any family or support. eventually, she moved to seattle and got her life back on track, but she never forgot the difficulties she faced and vowed to support any woman in a similar position.

others found the inspiration to build bridges from experi-ences in their youth.

“My first time coming to a women of Color event was about nine years ago,” said Pearl leung, community relations manager at Vulcan, inc. “it was so eye opening in my early 20’s seeing all the dynamic women in the room. it was just inspiring.”

Pearl would go on to leave seattle to pursue a Master’s in Urban Planning, but would eventually return to the Pacific Northwest.

Building communityif there is one thing that is most important to bridge build-

ers, it is inclusion. Builders foster inclusion, recognizing the

talent and worth of all communities.As a program analyst for the women’s Bureau, Manuelita

ybarra has been a driving force in coordinating Department of labor events in the Northwest, focusing on older workers. her work on “workplace Flexibility” is an ongoing effort to promote and improve business practices and policies that pro-vide a better work–life balance and work place flexibility.

Carmen Aguiar, Ceo of the Aguiar group, has seen both sides of inclusion.

“i was able to start my business because of the community i was involved with,” she said. “i moved from New york 23 years ago and knew no one. i became involved in the state so-ciety of CPAs and it was through those efforts that colleagues gave me referrals to grow my practice.”

like Aguiar, ellen Ferguson of the Burke Museum has seen the benefits of bridge building, and has tried to give back as much as she can.

“it was the wing that invited me into this community over 35 years ago,” Ferguson said.

in the 35 years since, she has become a part of the commu-nity, serving on the wing board of directors and earning the title of “museum lady” for her work at the Children’s hospital. however, she still has more to give back.

she continued, “i could never give as much as i have received.”

Charles Lam can be reached at [email protected].

known negotiators, but not to Malik’s group, angering the Moro rebels, according to the three security officials.

A gunbattle erupted between Malik’s forces and the Abu sayyaf militants sunday in Patikul’s jungles, Freyra said. there were no immediate reports of casualties, and police and the mili-tary went on alert amid the fighting.

sulu Governor Abdusakur tan has said he will not allow Malik’s group to take any drastic action like a rescue that could harm the Abu sayyaf’s hostages.

Atyani was working for the Arabic satellite channel Middle east Broadcasting Corp. when he interviewed osama bin laden and his aides in Afghanistan about three months before the sept. 11, 2001, attacks. he said they told him that the coming weeks would hold “important surprises that will target American and israeli interests in the world.”

he later moved to Dubai-based Al-Arabiya tV as its Asia bu-reau chief. he traveled to sulu to work on a documentary about

the country’s volatile south and possibly interview Abu sayyaf militants in the impoverished province, Freyra and other offi-cials said.

the other hostages being held by the Abu sayyaf include the two european men, who were seized from nearby tawi tawi province in February last year and are believed to have been taken to sulu, a Japanese treasure hunter, a Malaysian national, and a Filipino resident of sulu, officials say.

on Friday, washington renewed a longstanding warning to Americans not to travel to sulu “due to the high threat of kidnap-ping ... and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there.”

the Abu sayyaf, which has about 380 armed fighters in sulu and nearby islands, is an extremist offshoot of a Muslim rebel-lion that has been raging in the predominantly Catholic nation’s south for decades. the violence has been fueled by abject pov-erty, corruption, proliferation of illegal weapons, and weak law enforcement.


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{STAMP cont’d from page 1}

“we are proud to celebrate this special time with our friends in the Asian community,” said Nagisa Manabe, chief marketing and sales officer. “with this year’s limited edition stamp, we’re providing our customers the opportunity to ap-preciate the beauty of these stamps and use them in their new

year’s greetings to friends and family.”the Postal service introduced the Celebrating lunar

New year series in 2008. this is the sixth stamp in the se-ries, which will continue through 2019 with the years of the horse, ram, Monkey, rooster, Dog, and Boar.

illustrator kam Mak, an artist who was born in hong kong, grew up in New york City’s Chinatown, and now

lives in Brooklyn, has designed each stamp in the series, and will continue through the remaining six in the 12-year series.

the current series builds upon the Postal service’s origi-nal lunar New year stamp series, which was issued from 1992 through 2003. two elements from the first series are revived in the current stamps. these include the intricate paper-cut design and calligraphy motifs.

Have a story idea that you think would fit perfectly in Northwest Asian Weekly? We want to know about it. Send it to us

at [email protected].


{SHELF cont’d from page 11}

to Jenny’s struggles of being a good daugh-ter and a modern western woman. the fact that she hides her relationship with scott from her family and even pretends to date the son of a family friend (who is in the closet and dealing with issues of his own) didn’t even surprise me. Jenny wasn’t the first Asian American (or Asian Canadian, in her case) to do so and certainly won’t be the last. Fictional or otherwise.

The Red ChamberBy Pauline A. ChenKnopf, 2012

in this reimagining of Cao Xueqin’s “Dream of the red Chamber,” we meet the Jia family, who live in 18th century Beijing. the family is quite influential due to their connections to the current emperor and lives a lavish and enviable lifestyle.

the story begins with orphan Daiyu joining the family after her mother, who had been disowned years earlier by the Jias for marrying Daiyu’s father for love, dies. when she arrives, one of the only ways Daiyu can describe her newly found family is strange. everyone is so formal and every move they make is to advance the family in social and political circles.

From her uncle Zheng, who works for the government, and cold grandmother lady Jia, to her cousins lian and Baoyu, the grieving Daiyu has to learn how to live with her relatives, even when some of them have been less than welcoming.

eventually, the old emperor is killed and the Jias, who have no connection to the new ruler, fall with him. the men are thrown in jail and the women are left with nothing.

having grown up in the 20th and 21st centuries, i found the way girls and women are treated in this book – as mere pawns in the families’ chess game of advancement – appalling. But since the story is set in an-other time and place, i understood that was just the way it was.

Although this is true, i really admired the women in the story as they each had their own strengths. they dealt with their cir-

cumstances as best they could and fought for those they loved – sometimes success-fully, sometimes futilely. And at the end of the day, that’s all any of us can really do, no matter where or when we live.

Samantha Pak can be reached at [email protected].

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{LIU cont’d from page 7}

city spending records online, and sharply criticizing a scandal-plagued city payroll technology project.

while pundits and analysts have seen the investigation as a body blow to his mayoral chances, liu is attending candidate forums and otherwise signaling that he plans to run, though he hasn’t yet formally entered the race. Polls show him and several others announced and likely contenders significantly behind City Council speaker Christine Quinn in the Democratic matchup. several republicans also are in the mix.

his attorney, Paul shechtman, said he doesn’t expect liu to be called as a witness at the trial, but he’ll be “an interested observer.”

“whatever the outcome of the trial, i do think that the public will learn that John liu has always sought to run an honorable cam-paign,” shechtman said, adding that he was confident that no witness would testify liu was aware of any wrongdoing.

still, the cloud over liu’s campaign opera-tion deepened a week before the trial, when prosecutors revealed that his former press secretary, sharon lee, had been granted im-munity and would be compelled to testify about her solicitation of donations from as many as 10 family members and friends, half of whom she agreed to reimburse if they sent money.

At a pre-trial hearing Friday, Judge rich-ard sullivan seemed less than impressed by lee’s potential testimony and said he would decide later whether it was relevant to the charges. he said a prosecutor seemed “squir-relly” when the lawyer was reluctant to say whether lee was an unindicted co-conspira-tor, though he eventually acknowledged that she was.

hou’s lawyer, Gerald lefcourt, said in a letter to sullivan that lee has maintained that the campaign did not ask her to solicit friends and family and that it was “her own doing.”

lefcourt said some contributors might have arranged among themselves to channel money through straw donors, but his client knew nothing of it.

lawyers for Pan have argued that prosecu-tors developed a sting operation against Pan and manufactured a criminal case despite knowing — from Pan’s repeated rejection of the government’s advances — that he was not predisposed to violate campaign finance laws.

Defense lawyers also said authorities ter-rorized Pan with the threat of arrest to coerce

him to help the government manufacture a crime that it could say liu had committed. the attorneys said the government had been investigating liu’s fundraising since 2009 and began an undercover sting operation directed at the comptroller and Pan in early 2011.

“Mr. Pan was entrapped by the undercover sting into violating the campaign finance law, but Mr. liu was not ensnared by the opera-tion,” the lawyers wrote in court papers.

the investigation has taken a toll on liu’s campaign, which has spent more than $433,000 on legal fees in the past two years, about one-seventh of the money he’s raised for this election cycle, campaign finance re-cords show. liu’s job approval rating hit a high of 57 percent a few months before ques-tions surfaced about his campaign practices and plunged to 38 percent the month after Pan’s arrest. it stood at 46 percent earlier this month, according to the Quinnipiac Univer-sity Polling institute.

“Bad headlines produce bad polls,” said the institute’s director, Maurice Carroll.

still, if the trial concludes relatively quick-ly and without eliciting damning information about liu, it might not ultimately be defining for a politician who hasn’t yet formed a firm impression in many voters’ minds. some 46 percent of respondents in a Quinnipiac poll this month said they didn’t know enough about liu to have an opinion of him. the rest were close to evenly split among favorable and unfavorable views.

Clearly, the trial is “not the kind of atten-tion that you want when your campaign is try-ing to get its grounding,” said lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College institute for Public opinion. “the saving grace is: Pre-sumably it ends, and maybe he’s able to turn the page and move on.”

some feel that Asian American donors and fundraisers have received unfair scrutiny after other campaign finance allegations dur-ing the past two decades, said kwong. in one example, former Democratic fundraiser and hong kong native Norman hsu was convict-ed in a case that prompted hillary rodham Clinton to return more than $800,000 in con-tributions years ago.

But whatever those sentiments, some Asian Americans also lament that liu didn’t see to it that no such allegations could be made against his campaign, kwong said.

“For such an astute politician, this is not very elegant management, in terms of fundraising. so that’s very unfortunate,” he said.

{COMFORT WOMEN cont’d from page 7}

imperial Japanese armed forces and not the government that, according to our historical research, committed these acts.”

historians say the women, mostly from the korean peninsula and China, were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers in military brothels. But rightists in Japan have questioned whether the women were coerced by the military to be prostitutes.

some surviving women and their sup-porters have held a weekly vigil in front of the Japanese embassy in seoul for more than two decades, saying that an apology issued by a Japanese government official in 1993 has failed to convince south kore-ans that Japan is truly contrite.

the issue is an important one for Bergen County, where the korean population has quadrupled since 1990 and now accounts for nearly 8 percent of the county’s more than 900,000 residents. last year, Dono-van made an official visit to the county’s sister city of Dangjin, south korea, and met with some elderly women who, de-cades ago, were forced to provide sex for the soldiers.

“it was quite an amazing experience to sit with them and have tea,” Donovan said. “i asked them if i could tell their story. these are women who lived through that horrible experience and wanted the world to know.”

Park, an attorney, worked with a memorial committee to build and finance the memorials.

“these memorials are simply stating the fact that it happened, and Japan is arguing that it didn’t happen,” Park said. “we just see the issue as a human rights issue. we see comfort women survivors screaming for justice.”

similar memorials have been built in los Angeles and New york state, and plans are under way to build them in san Francisco, Georgia, New york, illinois, and Massachusetts, he said.

the New york state senate passed a res-olution tuesday recognizing the survivors.

when the first plaque went up on a small boulder next to the library in Palisades Park, the mayor said he received a perplex-ing visit from Japanese consular officials, followed by a delegation of members of Ja-pan’s parliament.

they offered to donate books to the li-brary. they wanted to plant Japanese cher-

ry blossom trees along the borough’s main thoroughfare. they offered to engage in activities with townspeople to “promote U.s.-Japan relations.”

“in the meantime,” Mayor James ro-tundo recalled, the visiting officials also told him, “it would be nice if we’d take the monument down.”

the first plaque reads, “in memory of the more than 200,000 women and girls who were abducted by the armed forces of the government of imperial Japan 1930s-1945 known as comfort women, they endured human rights violations that no peoples should leave unrecognized. let us never forget the horrors of crimes against humanity.”

the second plaque is being reworded to lay the blame on the imperial armed forces of Japan, instead of the armed forces of the government of imperial Japan, removing the government reference.

the Japanese consulate in New york, asked about the controversy in New Jersey, issued a statement on behalf of the govern-ment stating that Prime Minister shinzo Abe “is deeply pained when thinking of the `comfort women’ who experienced im-measurable pain and suffering, a feeling shared by his predecessors.”

the statement adds that Japan has apol-ogized for the suffering it caused to “the people of many countries, particularly to those in Asian nations.”

on the issue of the women, the Japanese government said, “it is our sincere hope that we can focus on working construc-tively together and move forward, and not politicize this issue.”

Park said he believes the women’s strug-gles have a place alongside history’s great-est injustices.

“human trafficking is a serious human rights violation, and the comfort women were the largest government-organized hu-man trafficking case in the 20th century,” he said. “we should understand the com-fort women memorial as something like the other memorials in the United states that memorialize many other human rights violations that happened in many places in the world.”

Associated Press writer Samantha Henry contributed.


{SNAKES cont’d from page 1}

Won Bin (born 1977) is a korean actor who shot to fame when he landed a role in two korean dramas, “kkokjii” and “Autumn Fairy tale,” in 2000. in the past decade, Bin has won several magazine awards for his fashion sense and at-tractiveness. Unlike many snakes, however, he is not greedy or egotistical — he spends his time volunteering as a UNi-CeF Goodwill Ambassador.

Kal Penn (1977) is an indian American actor who starred in the harold & kumar series. in early 2009, Penn accepted the position of Associate Director of the white house of-fice of Public engagement in the obama administration. in addition to still pursuing roles in tV and film and his government job, the ambitious Penn is also working on a graduate certificate in international security from stanford University.

James Wan (1977) is widely known for directing “saw,” the horror film series, and creating Billy the puppet in the films. wan and his partner leigh whannell created “saw” in 2004, and the film saw extreme success when it was shown at the sundance Film Festival. he went on to direct more horror and suspense films, including “Dead silence” and “Death sentence.” Perhaps wan thought he would be able to find the same success in the horror genre, but un-fortunately, none of his other movies were as triumphant as “saw.”

Dina Eastwood (born 1965) is best known for being the current wife of legendary actor and director Clint eastwood. she owes her good looks to her mixed heritage that includes Native hawaiian, Japanese, German, and english. she started out as a journalist before tak-ing on a few roles as a tV

host for shows like “A Quest for excellence” and “Candid Camera.” Dina is currently featured on the e! reality show “Mrs. eastwood and Company,” with her family. thanks to her snake-like intuitive nature, she discovered overtone, a south African a capella band, during the filming of her hus-band’s film, “invictus,” and currently manages them.

Gong Li (1965) is a famous Chinese actress who starred in “Farewell,” “My Concubine,” “Curse of the Golden Flow-er,” and many other films. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese di-rector Zhang yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to europe and the United states. known for her classic beauty and voluptuous body, li also has great fashion sense, as she represents shanghai tang, a Chinese clothing brand, as their spokesperson. in 2006, she was also voted the most beautiful woman in China.

Hayao Miyazaki (1941) is a famous Japanese film direc-tor, animator, manga artist, and screenwriter with a career that has spanned over 50 years. known for his award-winning films, such as “Princess Mononoke” and “spirited Away,” Miyazaki’s movies emphasize pro-gressive themes, such as environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, and the absence of villains. in college, the film “hakujaden” (the tale of the white serpent) in-spired Miyazaki to give up management and pursue animation.

Mao Zedong (1893) was an infamous Chinese Communist political figure

who was the founding father of the People’s republic of China. Mao was born wealthy and quickly rose to a senior leadership position in the Chinese government when he be-came an early member of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Coincidentally, snakes are attracted to the color red, and the Chinese flag is mostly red with five yellow stars rep-resenting the unity of the Chinese people under the leader-ship of the CPC.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869) was more com-monly known as Mahatma Gandhi, the most well known leader of indian nationalism in British-ruled india. through his peaceful protests — which included fasting — Gandhi led his country to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights, and freedom across the world. set out to succeed, Gandhi was the purest example of ambition and determination, like a true snake.

Nina Huang can be reached at [email protected].

{GANG RAPE cont’d from page 5}

Verma commission’s recommendations.”women’s groups have appealed to

Mukherjee not to sign the ordinance into law until it can be debated in Parliament.

“we are alarmed at the complete lack of transparency shown by the government. we call upon the president not to sign such an ordinance,” five women’s groups said in a

statement.the government said saturday that a par-

liamentary committee would examine all the recommendations of the panel.

“the government is aware that we need stringent laws to protect women,” said r. P. N. singh, junior minister for home affairs. “we will discuss the recommendations and make further changes to the law that may be required.”

{CHU cont’d from page 8}

At energy, Chu was most closely identi-fied with his oversight of a massive, $35 bil-lion loan guarantee program funded by the 2009 economic stimulus law. he also led efforts to develop a cutting-edge, alternative energy lab known as ArPA-e, or Advanced research Projects Agency-energy.

while tarnished by solyndra, the loan program has had many successes, including huge solar projects in California and Arizona and wind farms in oregon and Maine. the department also has boosted electric cars and nuclear power plants. Counting loans

and guarantees to U.s. car makers and the nuclear industry, the program is supporting as many as 60,000 jobs and generating up to $40 billion in private investment, Chu said.

the ArPA-e project has led research in fields from electrofuels to batteries. “while it is too early to tell if we have home runs, there are a number of investments that have certainly rounded second base,” Chu said in his farewell letter.

Chu also played a key role in the U.s. re-sponse to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, as well as an obama administra-tion decision to kill a planned nuclear waste dump at Nevada’s yucca Mountain.

{NGUYEN cont’d from page 4}

resistance to the Communist government. his lawyer and family members said earlier this month that his trial on charges of subversion was imminent, but then said it had been postponed for unknown reasons.

According to a copy of the indictment obtained by the Associated Press, Quan met with fellow Vietnamese activists in thailand and Malaysia between 2009 and 2010 and discussed internet security and nonviolent resistance.

the indictment said he traveled to Vietnam under a passport issued under the name of richard Nguyen in 2011, when he recruited four other members of Viet tan.

Vietnam routinely imprisons proponents of free speech and those who seek to undermine the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. last year, the country arrested and convicted several bloggers, part of a reaction against internet-fuelled criticism of corruption, its human rights record, and handling of the economy.

U.s. officials said last year they were delaying

washington’s participation in an annual meeting on human rights concerns because of Vietnam’s lack of progress, including Quan’s arrest. such consultations have been held every year since 2006. Congress members with large Vietnamese American constituencies have been putting pressure on the obama administration to get tough with Vietnam.

Chris Brummitt reported from Hanoi, Vietnam.

eastwood. he owes her good looks to her mixed heritage that includes

Communist political figure

tor, animator, manga artist, and screenwriter with a career nown for his award-

winning films, such as “Princess Mononoke” and pirited Away,” Miyazaki’s movies emphasize pro-

gressive themes, such as environmentalism, pacifism, n college, the

erpent) in-spired Miyazaki to give up management and pursue

was an infamous Chinese

Nina Huang can be reached at [email protected].

Native hawaiian, Japanese, German, and english. she started out as a journalist before tak-as a journalist before tak-as a journalist before taking on a few roles as a tV

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“Secret Asian Man” comic books are now available at the Kinokuniya bookstore in Seattle.

{CHEFS cont’d from page 7}

occasion, the restaurant paid ohira more than $15,000 for the whale meat.

in october 2009, marine mammal activists posing as cus-tomers were served whale during a visit to the restaurant. whale meat was served to the activists two other times, fed-eral prosecutors said.

tests confirmed the meat came from an endangered sei whale.

Japan kills hundreds of whales in Antarctic waters each year under its research whaling program, which has trig-gered violent protests by conservationists.

eating sei whale meat is common in Japan, korea, and Norway and among native peoples in Alaska and Canada, but it is illegal to export the meat because of the sei whale’s endangered status.

the company and yamamoto were initially charged three years ago, but prosecutors sought to have the charges dropped with the option to refile them at a later date.

ProjECT: Solid Waste Division Electrical Ser-vices Work Order, C00809C13

SEaLED BID TIME/DaTE: 1:00 p.m., February 21, 2013

LoCaTIoN DuE: King County Procurement & Contract Services Section, Contracts Counter, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104

ENGINEEr’S ESTIMaTE: $500,000.00SCoPE oF WorK: Work in this Contract in-

cludes furnishing all labor, materials, and equip-ment necessary to perform various electrical main-tenance and repair services on King County Solid Waste facilities on a Work Order basis. King Coun-ty is unable to determine the precise schedule or amount of work that may be performed under this Contract. The work will be assigned to the Con-tractor by Work Orders; each Work Order will ad-dress the scope of work and time of completion, and shall be performed as directed by the Project Representative and in accordance with the Techni-cal Specifications issued with each Work Order.

The work performed under this Contract shall not exceed $500,000.00 and the initial Contract Time shall not exceed 365 calendar days from the date of Contract execution by the County. The County does not guarantee any minimum amount of work

or that the dollar amount of the Work Orders is-sued will total $500,000.00 during the duration of this Contract. At the County’s sole discretion, this Contract may be extended for up to one additional year, or until the Not to Exceed Contract Price is reached, whichever occurs first. In no event shall the Contract Time be greater than two years from the date of Contract execution by the County.

CoNTaCT INForMaTIoN: Mary Lee, Con-tract Specialist, 206-263-9381, TTY Relay: 711, Fax: 206-296-7675, or [email protected]. A bidder may be asked to put a question in writ-ing. No verbal answers by any County personnel or its agents and consultants will be binding on the County.

PrE-BID CoNFErENCE: February 12, 2013, 8:45 a.m. at 201 S. Jackson Street, Seattle WA 98104, 7th floor Conference Room South Wind.

SuBCoNTraCTING oPPorTuNITIES: Auto-matic gate installation

aPPrENTICESHIP rEquIrEMENTS: No mini-mum Apprentice Utilization Requirement.

SCS uTILIzaTIoN rEquIrEMENTS. No mini-mum SCS Utilization Requirement

BID BoND: Not less than five percent 5% of the Not to Exceed Amount of $500,000 or $25,000

must accompany our bid.PLaNS/SPECS: Electronic copies of the plans,

specifications, reference documents, and any ad-denda for this solicitation can be accessed through an external link to Builder’s Exchange of Wash-ington from our website shown below. This site in-cludes options and instructions for printing. Printed documents may also be ordered by contacting Unit-ed Reprographics at 206-382-1177. Copies of doc-uments are not available for purchase from King County, but are available for review M – F 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Contracts Counter: Chinook Bldg, 3rd Floor 401 Fifth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104.

To receive email notifications of addenda or other important information concerning this solicitation, you must register to be a planholder under the “So-licitations” tab at the following internet link:

WEBSITE: www.kingcounty.gov/procurement This information is available in alternate formats

for individuals with disabilities upon advance re-quest by calling 206-263-9400, TTY Relay: 711.

NoTES: Bids received after Sealed Bid Time will not be considered. Bidders accept all risks of late delivery, regardless of fault. King County is not re-sponsible for any costs incurred in response to this Invitation to Bid.

King County Invitation to Bid

{TACOMA ART MUSEUM cont’d from page 1}

by which an art museum formally transfers its ownership of an object to another institu-tion or individual by sale, exchange, or grant.”

this often happens after a museum reviews its collection for appropriateness and context. the tacoma Art Museum has deaccessioned two other collections in recent history: first, in the 1990s, a collection of early American furniture, and then, at the turn of the century, several French tapestries.

Proceeds from deaccessioning are meant only to purchase new works, not to pay for operational funds, build endowments, or to pay for any other expenses. According to the tacoma Art Museum website, the young family’s “gift to the museum will continue to be recognized by ensuring their name re-mains connected with the museum and future art purchases.”

“Deaccession is not something any muse-um does lightly,” said tacoma Art Museum Director stephanie A. stebich. “it’s a rigor-ous, thoughtful, and diligent process. we spent two years looking at our collection … we also took the step of meeting with the heirs of the donors. we outlined the reasons [of the deaccessioning] to them. that’s not to say this isn’t painful for them, but again, we are fol-lowing the best practices and standards.”

still, the sale of the imperial robes has drawn the ire of community members, in-cluding the children of Col. and Mrs. young, as well as that of the Chinese historical soci-ety of America.

Al young and Connie young yu, the chil-dren of Col. and Mrs. young, contend that this

is not what his parents would have wanted. Both Col. John C. young and Mary lee

young were born in the United states, but saw discrimination under the Chinese exclu-sion Act of 1882. Mrs. young was imprisoned on California’s Angel island for over a year due to her alien status.

Despite these setbacks, the youngs per-severed and found success in business. Col. young became a restaurateur and manufac-turer of soy sauce, and Mrs. young became an importer of Chinese goods.

During their travels abroad, the youngs would seek out Chinese imperial robes and jades. the entirety of their collection was gathered from outside China and is made up of pieces that were removed from China dur-ing the tumultuous 20th century.

the young family struck up a relationship with the Baskin family of tacoma, eventually donating half of their textile collection and most of their jade collection to the tacoma Art Museum in the 1970s. the other half of the textile collection, sans jades, was donated

to stanford’s Cantor Art Center.“John and Mary young … were well aware

of the harsh treatment of Chinese in the Northwest during the 19th century and the forced expulsion of Chinese from tacoma,” Connie young yu, daughter of Col. and Mrs. young said. “By donating their art collections to tAM, they hoped to promote understand-ing and bring people together to appreciate Chinese heritage.”

the current sale, however, has done more harm than good. in the 1990s, an undeter-mined part of the young collection was lost as part of a private, unannounced sale. the young family was informed of the most re-cent sale, but was upset at the characterization of their parent’s gifts, as what the tacoma Art Museum website calls “mainly tourists’ keep-sakes and mementos.”

they say that this characterization is false, considering the multiple well-reviewed exhi-bitions that have featured the robes.

“[Mrs. young] wanted to preserve her country’s heritage,” said the late tacoma Art

Museum director Jon kowalek in a February 1979 interview with the tacoma News tri-bune. “they looked for the finest examples of Chinese embroidery and costumes. the robes were purchased in different locations around the world, none in China. her discerning eye was very sophisticated. their selections are of the finest quality in a 99 percent state of perfection.”

the young family also said that the muse-um told them the collection “was not of high value.” early valuations by sotheby’s auction house placed the value of the deaccessioned items, which includes the young collections as well as several other donations, at approxi-mately $70,000. later appraisals by Bon-hams auction house, which would eventually run the auction, valued the items at a high of $100,000.

however, at an auction in san Francisco in December, a small portion of the young col-lection was sold for a total of $229,467.

the remainder of their collection is sched-uled to be auctioned off in March.

the young family would rather the re-maining collection be transferred to the wing luke Museum.

“My parents intended these precious works to showcase Chinese art and culture,” said Al young, son of Col. and Mrs. young. “some of the jade pieces were precious heirlooms that i contributed to my parents’ donation. they were a [part of] the permanent collection at tAM and put on view for all to enjoy. Now, the jade is being used as currency for the mu-seum to buy new works.”

Charles Lam can be reached at [email protected].

A small portion of the Young family collection on display

vol 32 no 7 | february 9 - february 15, 2013

Documents

chinese textiles

chinese tradition

snakes contd

tacoma art museum contd

young collection

ancient chinese wisdom

collection of jades

chinese zodiac