VOL 30 NO 22 | 2011

VOL 30 NO 22 MAY 28 – JUNE 3, 2011 FREE 29 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 BlogA superintendent’s visit to the NWAW office » P. 12

NAMES IN THE NEWSWho’s doing what in the Asian community? » P. 3

COMMUNITY NEWSCambodian activist to be honored by SU » P. 4

AT THE MOVIES“Kung Fu Panda 2” and “The Hangover 2” » P. 11

By Jean WongNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Japanese American Lillia Uri Matsuda (née Satow) was interned when she was a nursing student at Seattle University (SU) in 1942.

“They told us we had to go, we said yes, and we went,” she said. “We were raised to obey. All we heard was, ‘Obey your country! Be loyal citizens! Go to camp!’ And the camp was called Camp Harmony.” Camp Harmony was the name commonly associated with the Puyallup Assembly Cen-ter, where Japanese Americans were first detained in 1942.

“The irony of that name,” Yosh Nakagawa said with a grimace.

Remembering a wrongOn Feb. 19, 1942, President

Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Ex-ecutive Order 9066, which autho-rized the Japanese to be relocated. This forever changed the lives of the Nisei, or second generation

Japanese Americans.“There was a soldier up there

with a machine gun pointed at us, and I thought, this isn’t Camp Harmony. It’s a prison,” said Mat-suda. “We were put into stalls, where they used to train horses — you can imagine the smell.”

On May 17, SU held a pro-gram entitled “Honoring Cour-age,” where Japanese American survivors of internment camps

{see SU cont’d on page 15}

Japanese Americans silent no more, talk about internment

Phot

o by

Jea

n W

ong/

NW

AW

By Stacy NguyenNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

On Monday, May 23, Burmese American Rich Cho was fired as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers. Cho was the ninth general manager in Trail Blazers’ history — fifth since 2003 — and was hired in July 2010. He was also the first Asian American gen-eral manager in NBA history.

“I think the big issue was chem-istry between him and the owner,”

{see CHO cont’d on page 14}

Cho fired after less than one year with Trail Blazers

Rich Cho

Phot

o by

Joh

nny

Bui/

NW

AW

NWAW at SIFF!Read our reviews and see what’s playing this week » P. 10

By Nan Nan LiuNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

At 4'11" and 90 pounds, Virginia Sjahli is a petite size. Many women envy her size, but Sjahli faces ob-stacles in shopping for clothes.

“Most stores don’t make true petite size,” she said.

So when nothing fits her tiny frame, shopping becomes frustrat-ing to Sjahli. However, a positive thing that has come out of this is that she doesn’t have to suffer alone. Sjahli has discovered a growing community of petite bloggers on Blogspot — most of them Asian — who share the same dilemma.

Jen Yu and Sydney Nguyen are extra petite Asian women, just like Sjahli, and also bloggers that focus on petite fashion.

Through blogging, they help others find better fitting clothes, test sizes, and sell pre-owned items at a discount.

{see PETITE cont’d on page 18}

By Stacy NguyenNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

“I grew up in Louisiana. North, rural, segregated Louisiana. It wasn’t in the cards for me to be standing here, talking to you,” said

Taylene Watson, director of social work at Veterans Affairs (VA) Puget Sound Health Care System.

In 2006, Watson was named the National VA Social Worker of the

{see WOC cont’d on page 13}

Army wives? Not exactly

Women struggle with being a size smaller than small

body shape

blouseshape

Women of Color Empowered honorees, from left: Linda Hill, Erika Hunter, Monica Hunter-Alexander, Denise “Cookie” Bouldin, Carmen Best, Traci Williams, Hisami Yoshida, Colleen Wilson, Annette Louie, Janice Mano Lehman, Lisaye Ishikawa (Taylene Watson not shown.)

Phot

o by

Reb

ecca

Ip/S

CP

Lillia Uri (Satow) Matsuda with Karen Korematsu (right)

2 MAY 28 – JUNE 3, 2011 asianweeklynorthwest

29 YEARS YOUR VOICE MAY 28 – JUNE 3, 2011 3

■ NAMES IN THE NEWSMay 11: MulvannyG2 Architecture Chairman Jerry Lee receives Presidential Volunteer Service Award

President Barack Obama’s Council on Service and Civic Participation awarded Bellevue-based Mul-vannyG2 Architecture chairman Jerry Lee the Presidential Vol-unteer Service Award, which recognizes, in particular, Lee’s work with Susan G. Komen,

Puget Sound Affiliate, and Seattle Children’s Hos-pital, as well as numerous charities in the Puget Sound region.

Lee logged more than 500 hours of commu-nity service in a 12-month period. Those hours include his service as a member of Seattle Chil-dren’s Hospital Foundation’s Circle of Care and as a board member of the College Success Foun-dation.

May 21: YMCA 2011 Glob-al Teens organize Korea Culture Night

At the Dale Turner Family YMCA, partici-pants of YMCA’s Global Teens program orga-nized Korea Culture Night, a fundraiser for the participants’ upcoming trip. There was a raffle, K-pop dancing, and Korean games, as well as food and performances.

More than 40 teens from Seattle-area high schools participate in the Global Teens program, which will send teens on 14-day trips to Japan, South Korea, Columbia, and Senegal this year.

May 6: Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce features Mayor McGinn

At the New Hong Kong Restaurant, the Great-er Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce held its monthly luncheon, which featured Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.

At the luncheon, McGinn discussed the Seattle school system, the tunnel, and various other is-sues.

About 50 people attended.

April 30: North Seattle Community College holds annual Passport to Success Dinner

Passport to Success is North Seattle Community College (NSCC)’s annual dinner and the only fundraising event for the Education Fund of North Seattle Community College, which supports scholarships and other programs at the college, includ-

ing faculty and staff development, tutoring, and academic pro-grams.

Between 200–250 community and business leaders, elected officials, and other friends of NSCC attended. Last year, the event raised about $130,000.

Melody Woodard wins The Wing’s Year of the Rabbit Color-ing Contest

Out of more than 260 entries, Melody Woodard’s artwork was selected as the first place winner by three judges, artist Amy Ni-kaitani, former educator Maxine Lee, and John Stanford Interna-tional Principal Kelly Aramaki.

As the grand prize winner, Woodard, 8, received travel for two on JetBlue, a $40 gift certif-icate to the Marketplace at The Wing, and a 1-year patron-level Wing membership.

She is a student at Shaw Island School, which is a K–8 school with only 20 students.

Jerry Lee

Global Teens participants prepare for Korea Culture Night.

Mayor Mike McGinn with members of the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce

From left, in back: Former Seattle Community College District (now Seattle Community Colleges) Chancellor Peter Ku, Shiao Yen, NSCC President Mark Mitsui, Vera Ing, Winnie Lee, and Seattle Community Colleges Chancellor Jill Wakefield. Front: Terri Ji

Melody Woodward holds her award-winning artwork


■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Internationally renowned landmine activist Tun Chan-nareth will travel from Cambodia to the United States to accept an honorary doctoral degree from Seattle University at its graduate commencement ceremony in June.

In 1997, Channareth was chosen to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

A soldier in 1982 resisting the Khmer Rouge regime, Channareth stepped on a landmine near the Thai–Cambo-dian border and lost both of his legs. Since then, he has traveled the world as an ambassador of the ICBL, urging governments to make landmines history.

“Mr. Channareth has reached out with compassion in service to other landmine victims, while working tirelessly to rid the world of these insidious weapons,” said Seattle University President Stephen Sundborg, S.J.

“He is an inspiring example to our students of our mis-sion as a university that empowers leaders for a just and humane world.”

Channareth was nominated for the university honor by

professors whose students had worked with him during a recent service-learning tour in Siem Reap, Cambodia. To assist Channareth’s work, the students helped raise $2,000 for rural education and health projects.

His advocacy continues every day within his own country, as he spends much of his time working at the Jesuit Service Center in Siem Reap, building and delivering affordable wheelchairs for landmine victims throughout the country.

“I am excited about this honorary degree,” Channareth said. “The real winners are people around the world who are threatened daily by landmines and cluster bombs. The congratulations should go to Seattle University students, faculty, and staff, because they see these global issues and take leadership action.”

Seattle University President Stephen Sundborg described Channareth as an inspiring example to students.

“Mr. Channareth has reached out with compassion in service to other landmine victims while working tirelessly to rid the world of these insidious weapons,” Sundborg said

SU’s graduate commencement ceremony is at 3 p.m. on June 12 at KeyArena, Seattle Center.

For more information, visit www.icbl.org.

Seattle University to award honorary degree to global landmine activist

Tun Channareth

During the first week of May, the Chinatown–ID area saw 64 new graffiti crimes — 20 percent of the annual av-erage, according to the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA).

The CIDBIA is asking the community to be alert for suspicious activity in the neighborhood. Volunteer efforts

of some dedicated community members in the past have resulted in identification of two men responsible for nearly half of the tags in the ID, as they were seen on camera. These men are now being investigated by the Seattle Police Department.

If there is any suspicious behavior, CIDBIA asks that community members call 911 immediately. If community members have any scoop on graffiti-related crimes, they should contact Julia Nelson at [email protected].

This month, graffiti vandalism in the International District increased



■ COMMUNITY NEWS

By Todd PitmanTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BANGKOK (AP) — Cradling a framed por-trait of her slain daughter, Payao Akkhahad ap-proached a soldier outside a barracks in this vast Asian metropolis and delivered a letter asking for something her bereaved family feels it never got: justice.

Her only daughter, Kamolkate, was working as a volunteer nurse when gunmen fired into a Buddhist temple complex that was supposed to be a safe haven. She was killed on May 19, 2010 — the final day of militant anti-government “Red Shirt” dem-onstrations that had paralyzed the city and spawned some of Thailand’s bloodiest vio-lence in decades.

New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch says the shooting was most likely carried out by soldiers, as does a pre-liminary report by the government’s Depart-ment of Special Investigations — Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI.

But one year later, nobody has been charged in Kamolkate’s death. Cases like this — and the fact that only government oppo-nents have so far faced prosecution — have strengthened a sense that justice in Thai-land is one-sided, a malleable tool favoring the Bangkok-based elite over the powerless, mostly rural poor.

“The army killed innocent people, yet one year later, there have been no apologies,” the 46-year-old Payao said, referring to the mili-tary crackdown that crushed the two-month protest and claimed her 25-year-old daugh-ter’s life.

“You should take responsibility for what you’ve done,” Payao told a black-uniformed soldier outside the barracks, where she believes the troops who shot her daughter are based. “If there is no justice, I’m afraid people will have to die again.”

Clutching a walkie-talkie, the soldier nod-ded respectfully, then bowed and walked away without saying a word.

Though life in cosmopolitan Bangkok

{see BANGKOK cont’d on page 19}

By Gene JohnsonTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE (AP) — Nine Western State Hospital workers who said their bosses illegally accommodated a patient’s request for white caregivers have filed a federal lawsuit saying the practice is not only discriminatory, but dangerous.

After a mentally ill patient with a history of attacking hospital workers requested only white caregivers, manag-ers agreed, and hospital executives declined to investigate when the workers complained about the policy, the workers said in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday.

The workers, of various ethnicities, are assigned to West-ern State’s Center for Forensic Studies, most of them as psychiatric security attendants who help with daily care of patients. They say that the ongoing practice barred dark-skinned employees from work they would normally be as-signed to do and forced white or light-skinned workers to spend extra time with a violent patient.

The Department of Social and Health Services, which runs the hospital, is named as a defendant. Spokesman Thomas Shapley said Friday that state lawyers are reviewing the law-suit and he could not comment on its specific claims.

“The safety of patients and staff is our number one prior-ity — it always is,” he said.

Jesse Wing, a Seattle attorney who represents the work-ers, said those goals weren’t served by the policy.

“When a Filipino guy shows up on a ward and a man-ager sends him away, saying, ‘No, we need someone who’s white,’ that Filipino guy has just lost some credibility among the patients,” Wing said. “This is a dangerous place to work, and it creates a more dangerous situation for the worker when the patients see that he or she no longer has the support of management.”

He called the hospital’s decision “bad medicine” — like giving in to a patient’s demand for a scotch-and-soda, or for young, attractive nurses.

“The patients don’t run the hospital. You don’t give into

their irrational desires,” he said. The lawsuit said that at one point last month, a nurse left

a shift note declaring “No Blacks No Joey to F8” — mean-ing that neither Blacks nor Asian Filipino plaintiff Joey Lopez should be assigned to the patient’s ward. The patient was identified only by his initials, M.P.

Another nurse, Patricia Blackburn, who is white, said she was appalled by the directive and refused to comply. The three security attendants due to be assigned to patients next were all minorities — a Black African, an African American, and an Asian Filipino — and Blackburn told a managing nurse she would not skip over them because of their skin color.

Relenting slightly, the nurse asked, “Who is the lightest skinned of the three?” and proceeded to order Blackburn to send the Asian Filipino to the patient’s ward.

Blackburn said that when she filed an administrative

{see HOSPITAL cont’d on page 19}

One year after protests, Thailand still divided, its people suffer most

Hospital workers sue over patient who requested only white workers

■ WORLD


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.

AssuntA ngPublisher

[email protected]

stAcy nguyenEditor

[email protected]

HAn BuiLayout Editor/Graphic Designer

[email protected]

Account Executives

ReBeccA [email protected]

Kelly [email protected]

JoHn [email protected]

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

■ WORLD NEWS

By Tim SullivanTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI (AP) — Years later, long after their handmade shacks had been re-duced to rubble, they look at the place that was once their neighborhood and see the ghosts of what is no longer there.

It was, by nearly any definition, a slum. It was a cluster of cheap brick shacks pressed close together that flooded in the monsoons and baked in the summer heat.

But it was also something else. The peo-ple who lived there talk about the meticu-lously kept homes, where more than 100 families celebrated one another’s weddings. They were drivers and maids, cooks and construction workers. They were Hindus, Christians, and Muslims.

The lives spent in that slum trace nearly 70 years of India’s history, from the chaos of independence to the challenge of how an increasingly wealthy nation copes with the millions left behind by its economic rebirth.

Slums are demolished nearly every week in India. Thousands of shanties are some-times bulldozed at once.

It happens because the land has become too valuable, or the slum has become an eyesore. It happens when a politician wants to push out opposition voters.

In a country anxious to show how much it has developed, the demolitions underlie a vast housing shortage.

Because with the economy galloping at 9 percent a year and villagers flocking to cities for work, the slums are growing ever larger. India has about 93 million slum dwellers today, up from 52 million in 2001 and more than the combined populations of France and Australia. As much as 50 percent of New Delhi is thought to live in slums, and 60 percent of Mumbai.

The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2030, the country’s need for afford-able urban housing could jump by 50 per-cent to a staggering 38 million households.

Yet India’s main urban housing plan to-tals less than $2 billion a year — about one-eighth of what it spent on the 2010 Common-wealth sports games — and vague promises that all slums will be gone in five years.

Meanwhile, slum residents struggle against vulturous landlords, corrupt bu-reaucrats, and an inept, overburdened legal system that gives them little recourse to justice when the bulldozers come.

Just ask the people who lived at No. 8 Raj Niwas Marg, crowded onto the grounds of a crumbling century-old mansion.

The first of them arrived in the late 1940s, when the street was still called Ludlow Cas-tle Road and jackals still roamed the city’s quieter reaches. The neighborhood was — and still is — called Civil Lines, an echo of how British colonial towns were divided into military and civilian areas.

Behind a hotel, though, was a differ-

ent world. There, carefully hidden by high walls, were small brick shacks where the waiters, pantrymen, and gardeners lived.

At the Cecil, they found decent jobs at decent pay. There was enough money for food, for school fees, for the occasional new sari, and new dresses for Easter.

In 1947, though, everything changed. On August 15, Britain gave the colony in-

dependence by dividing it into Pakistan and India. The two new countries were convulsed by violence as Muslims fled to Pakistan and Hindus to India. About 1 million people died in the chaos, and millions fled their homes.

And new residents — sometimes with permission, sometimes simply as squatters — moved in.

“There were trees and grass everywhere,” said Devi, now a 77-year-old widow, remem-bering when she and her husband built their first hut there from mud and cow dung, cover-ing it with a canvas tarp. “It felt like a jungle.”

What they created, the residents say, was a community. They built one-room, one-sto-ry houses that leaned and curved. Over the years, the mud walls were replaced by bricks, and thatch roofs by ceramic tiles. They built sidewalks that ran between the houses, and planted gardens of papayas and mangos.

And with each generation, the shacks grew bigger and the slum grew more crowded, as grown children built rooms for their own families.

While most Indian neighborhoods are divided into enclaves — by ethnicity, reli-gion, or caste — things were different in the shantytown. Decades later, they are still proud of how the Hindu holiday of Diwali would fade into Christmas, which would fade into the Muslim festival of Eid.

But was it legal? Decades later, there’s no way to say. The families living in the man-sion say they had an oral agreement with the owners. But the documentation is of-ten contradictory, years of arguments and lawsuits that included the slum-dwellers, relatives of the original owners, a string of other claimants, and the city government.

Officials didn’t know how to treat the

shantytown — not uncommon in a country where slums are both political embarrass-ments and vote banks.

There are laws and rules and city plans that are supposed to protect slum residents, said Colin Gonsalves, a New Delhi lawyer who has fought hundreds of slum demoli-tion cases. “But it doesn’t change anything.”

By the 1990s, New Delhi was nothing like the city those Cecil workers found in 1947. Property prices had skyrocketed, powered by economic reforms that cast aside decades of socialist-style policies and laid the founda-tions for an emerging economic behemoth.

Boutiques now sold Chanel purses and Louis Vuitton luggage.

In one way, the shantytown itself changed dramatically. The property, which in the 1940s had been little more than a vacant lot, was now worth at least several million dollars.

Various neighborhood politicians began wrangling over it.

It was a time when religious violence was surging in India, fed by a rise of re-ligious- and caste-based political parties. In New Delhi, city bureaucrats worried the real estate squabble could escalate into riot-ing, according to a top official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Their solution was to destroy it. The shantytown families knew nothing

until the bulldozers arrived. It happened on a Tuesday, when many

residents were at work. First the phones went dead. Then authorities set up barricades, sealing off the streets. No one wanted a riot.

Finally the police swept in, hundreds of them with plastic helmets and bamboo ba-tons. Loudspeakers blared, “You must va-cate immediately!”

“The police were shoving us,” Parchha said. “Rushing. Rushing. They’d say, ‘Go! Do you want to be bulldozed along with your house?’ ”

So they went. From a distance, Beniwar watched as the

{see SLUM cont’d on page 18}

Destroyed slum a consequence of India’s vast economic gap


■ COMMUNITY CALENDARTHU 5/26

WHAT: Town Hall Meeting celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with John D. TrasvinaWHERE: Wing Luke Asian Museum, 719 S. King St., SeattleWHEN: 9 a.m.COST: FreeINFO: John Chung, [email protected]

SAT 5/28

WHAT: 52nd Annual Seattle Japanese Queen Scholarship CelebrationWHERE: Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, 11100 N.E. 6th St., BellevueWHEN: 7 p.m.INFO: www.seattlejqc.org

WHAT: The Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute’s leadership development trainingWHERE: Viet TV Studio, 259 S.W. 41st St., RentonWHEN: 12–3 p.m.INFO: 206-322-6134

MON 5/30

WHAT: Cathay Post #186 American Legion Memorial Day Services to honor America’s war deadWHERE: Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S., SeattleWHEN: 4 p.m.INFO: 425-502-9225

WHAT: Seattle Nisei Veterans Annual Memorial Day Program WHERE: Lake View Cemetery, 1554 15th Ave. E., SeattleWHEN: 10–11 a.m.INFO: Stan Shikuma, [email protected], www.seattlenvc.org

THU 6/2

WHAT: Japan Disaster Relief Night at Cheney Stadium at Tacoma Rainiers gameWHERE: Cheney Stadium, 2502

S. Tyler St., TacomaWHEN: 7:05 p.m.COST: $15INFO: Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 253-383-3900

SAT 6/4

WHAT: Northwest Ballet Theatre performs “Emerald Bay,” a ballet about Chinese expulsionWHERE: McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount VernonWHEN: 7:30 p.m.INFO: www.mcintyrehall.org, www.northwestballet.org

WHAT: CISC 39th Annual Friendship Dinner and AuctionWHERE: Hyatt Regency, 900 Bellevue Way N.E., BellevueWHEN: 5:30 p.m.COST: $100 before 5/20 or $125 after 5/20INFO: 206-624-5633, [email protected], www.cisc-seattle.org

SAT 6/4 & SUN 6/5

WHAT: Explore, Experience, and Enjoy Culture at Pagdiriwang Philippine FestivalWHERE: Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St., SeattleWHEN: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.INFO: 206-684-7200, www.seattlecenter.com

SUN 6/5

WHAT: Pacifica Chamber Orchestra performs free concertWHERE: Holy Rosary Church, 630 7th Ave. N., EdmondsWHEN: 3–5 p.m.INFO: 425-743-0255, [email protected]

WHAT: Wokai Iron Chef Summer Cook OffWHERE: Washington Square, The Loft, 10610 N.E. 9th Place, BellevueWHEN: 12:30–4 p.m.COST: $5–$20INFO: [email protected], en.wokai.org/events

SAT 6/11

WHAT: Interim CDA’s annual dinner & auction, “Refresh 2011”WHERE: Grand Hyatt Hotel, 721 Pine St., SeattleWHEN: 5:30 p.m.COST: $100RSVP: by 6/1 to [email protected], 206-624-1802 extension 15INFO: www.interimicda.org

WHAT: Community Alliance for Global Justice presents 5th Annual “Strengthening Local Economies Everywhere!” dinnerWHERE: St. Demetrios Church, 2100 Boyer Ave. E., SeattleWHEN: 5 p.m.TICKETS: $40–$75, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/171343INFO: 206-405-4600, [email protected]

MON 6/13 THRU FRI 6/24

WHAT: ACRS Vocational ESL Hospitality TrainingWHERE: ACRS, 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., SeattleWHEN: 5/24 & 5/31 at 9:30 a.m., 5/26 & 6/2 at 2 p.m.INFO: 206-695-7527, [email protected], acrs.org/services/employmentandtraining

SAT 6/18

WHAT: Second annual Chinatown-International District JAMFEST, music and bandsWHERE: Wing Luke Asian Museum, 719 S. King St., SeattleWHEN: 6:30–9:30 p.m.COST: $8–$25INFO: 206-623-5124 extension 119, www.wingluke.org

THRU 6/19

WHAT: Exhibit: “Born Into Identity: The Asian Pacific American Adoptees Experience”WHERE: Wing Luke Asian Museum, 719 S. King St., SeattleWHEN: First Thursday, 12/2 at 10 a.m.–8 p.m.INFO: 206-623-5124, www.wingluke.org

6/27 THRU 7/1

WHAT: Case Studies in Teaching about China and Japan, a summer institute for K-8 educatorsWHERE: University of Washington, SeattleCOST: $150INFO: jsis.washington.edu/earc

6/27 THRU 7/9

WHAT: ACRS Light Building Maintenance TrainingWHERE: ACRS, 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., SeattleWHEN: Every Tuesday at 3 p.m.INFO: 206-695-7527,

[email protected], acrs.org/services/employmentandtraining

SAT 7/2

WHAT: Samoa Cultural Day at Clover Park High SchoolWHERE: Clover Park High School, 11023 Gravelly Lake Drive S.W., Tacoma INFO: Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 253-383-3900

FRI 7/8

WHAT: Monthly Leadership Luncheon with Bill Longbrake, HOPE LoanPortWHERE: House of Hong Restaurant, 409 8th Ave. S., SeattleINFO: 206-232-7889, www.seattlechinesechamber.org

EVERY TUESDAY

WHAT: ACRS Employment Program OrientationWHERE: ACRS, 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., SeattleWHEN: 3–4:30 p.m.INFO: 206-695-7527, [email protected], acrs.org/services/employmentandtraining

120 - 6th Ave SSeattle, WA 981041-888-487-5456A PA R T M E N T S

TERRACET H E

SH-275

*Offer valid O.A.C., when you reserve by 5/31/11. Certain age and income restrictions apply. Must be 61+ or 55+ and disabled. Offer on select units. Rents range from $790 to $1,075 per month, but vary by apartment. Pay $99 for your first month of rent and 50% off the normal security deposit on all units. Rent freeze valid for the term of your lease, up to two years. Offer valid to new residents only. Not valid with other offers.

www.TerraceSeattle.com

If you are 61+ (or 55+ and disabled) and living on a limited income you may qualify to live at The Terrace, SHAG’s affordable senior living community located in downtown Seattle. Rents range from $790 to $1,075 per month, including all utilities!

Are you over 60 and living on a limited income?

Get your first month’s rent for $99, a rent freeze and 50% off security deposit.*

Call 1-888-487-5456 for details.

Have an event to promote?

Please send us the details at

least 14 days in advance to

[email protected].


Never give up.

We all have unique qualities that make us good at our jobs. In my case I tend to be pretty stubborn, or persistent you could say. I always believe there’s another way to approach a problem. And that patience and persistence are what keep me going.

My first assignment at Lilly resulted in the development of a medicine for patients suffering with a life-threatening condition. I was involved from the very beginning, from experimentation all the way through clinical trials and approval. The process

took nearly 20 years, but in the end we developed one of the most complex proteins any company has made, which has helped save many, many lives.

Now I’ve moved into oncology discovery, designing and developing new medicines to treat cancer and tailoring therapies to individual patients. It’s challenging work, but we are determined to find another breakthrough treatment. I just love the process of discovery — I never give up.

lilly.com

Sau-Chi Betty Yan, Ph.D.Research Fellow, Oncology Patient Tailoring, Eli Lilly and Company

Started as a senior biochemist at Lilly in 1985

Attended high school in Hong Kong

Completed graduate studies at Iowa State University and postdoctorate studies at University of Minnesota and University of Texas

MG66154 0810 PRINTED IN USA ©2011, Lilly USA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


■ AT THE MOVIES

NWAW at SIFF this week: the inspirational and the sad

“Boy,” New Zealand (2010), directed by Taika WaititiReviewed by Andrew Hamlin

Half Jewish, half Maori di-rector Taika Waititi created a sensation in 2007 with “Eagle vs. Shark,” a romantic comedy with a decidedly New Zealand twist. The funny accents (to American audiences) and the presence of Jemaine Clement,

a member of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, as-sured plenty of amusement. For this new film “Boy,” Waiti-ti takes a central role himself, with mixed results.

The movie opens in 1984, with a Michael Jackson-wor-shipping New Zealand kid called Boy (played by James Rolleston). It’s a little odd to be called Boy, admits Boy, but then again, he’s got three friends named Dallas, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest (American TV clearly reaches to some parts of their country). Boy’s mother died giving birth to his younger brother Rocky (Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu), but he lives with a large and mostly happy extended family. He likes to pretend his father isn’t in prison, but his father (Waititi) is, in fact, in prison. Then suddenly, his father isn’t in prison anymore.

“Boy” ultimately sports too much lassitude and uneven-ness to qualify as a great film. As a director, though, Waititi excels at merging adult sensibilities into the young children’s fantasy lives. As an actor, Waititi convincingly sketches a man who’s a legend in his own mind. The destructive force

of dad’s egomania strikes at the film’s end, but it’s hinted that love, and imagination, will conquer all.

Showtimes: IKEA Performing Arts Center, Thursday, May 26, 6:30 p.m. Neptune Theatre, Saturday, June 4, 6:30 p.m.Neptune Theatre, Monday, June 6, 4:30 p.m.

“Karate-Robo Zabor-gar,” Japan (2011), directed by Noboru IguchiReviewed by Andrew Hamlin

“Karate-Robo Zaborgar” has a hero with a motorcycle that turns into a robot samurai war-

rior. His primary nemesis, Miss Borg, has another motorcy-cle, which also turns into a robot samurai warrior. Miss Borg takes her orders from an evil high-tech despot with a cyborg eye, who flies around in a huge airship resembling a certain portion of the human anatomy. The movie also features a ro-bot that spits acid from its mouth and its scorpion-styled tail. Another peril to the hero is the Bulldog Car Robot, which shockingly enough is a huge car, huge bulldog, and huge ro-bot rolled into one.

With the above as a description for what’s in the movie, I probably don’t have to tell you much about what happens. Superhero robot fights abound, moving almost too fast for the human eye to catch. Scantily-clad female cyborgs re-flect director Noboru Iguchi’s background in soft porn. The last portion of the film, however, happens 25 years after the

events. Oddly enough, the finale finds thoughtful things to say about aging, faded glory, and the search for a purpose in life. The finale won’t make you forget about the robot motor-cycle, bulldog car, acid, karate wars that came before. But it gives you something to think about as the lights go up.

Showtimes: Egyptian Theatre, Friday, May 27, 11:55 p.m.Admiral Theatre, Monday, May 30, 8:30 p.m.Neptune Theatre, Wednesday, June 1, 9:30 p.m.

“Littlerock” USA (2010), directed by Mike OttReviewed by Jason Cruz

This awkward but compel-ling story situates a Japanese brother (Rintaro) and sister (Atusko) stranded in a small, rural town of Littlerock, Calif. Their rental car breaks down during a site-seeing tour of the state. The two tourists are on their way to San Francisco and Manzanar (to visit the World War II internment camp), but their unexpected stay exposes Atusko to the freedom of the town’s youth. As a result, she extends her stay to her broth-er’s chagrin as he goes forward with their original plans.

Although she cannot speak English, Atusko seems drawn to the slacker culture of the small town and befriends a group of directionless youths in their 20s that spend most of their days hanging out, smoking, and drinking. While

{see SIFF cont’d on page 19}

Congratulationsto

Tama Murotani-Inabaon her 91st birthday on May 29

"Your elegance, graciousness, kindness, energy and amazing sense of humor make you a role model for all of us; Happy Birthday, Tama!"

— Carolyn Kelly

"You call yourself 'outrageous.' Well, yes you are!'Outrageously' beautiful and kind!'Outrageously' smart, humorous and generous!And....you are an 'outrageously' special friend.

— Penny and Frank Fukui

To: TAMA

Fr: FRIENDS

with love

A C and Jerry AraiLori MatsukawaTomio and Jenny MoriguchiJane NishitaKay HiraiRay & Ling Chinn

Cari MurotaniIda MatsudairaJoi and Steve DennettJune ChenAssunta Ng, George and John Liu

"Tama was indeed surprised by the birthday party and seemed very moved by all the nice things that were said about her."

— Arlene Oki

"Tama is my mother, 'girlfriend' and role model who has such a positive outlook on life, wonderful sense of humor, understands and applies appropriate social protocols, and is very pleasant to the 'eye'!!!"

— Jeff Hattori

"Happy Birthday to a beautiful lady, inside and out, you look much younger than your age! I wish I could look half as good as you. I am luck to have you as a friend."

— Charlene Grinolds

"Tama, I have known you for over 40 years and you are still lovely and elegant. Happy birthday. Hugs."

— Vi Mar


By Andrew HamlinNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

“The Hangover,” from 2009, brought new lows to the treasured American tradition of the raunchy, slimy, morally corrupt R-rated comedy.

In the tradition of “National Lam-poon’s Animal House” and “Risky Business,” it presented young affluent American men behaving very, very badly and generating enormous laughs in the process. It also made a surprise star out of a hairy, overweight fellow named Zach Galifianakis, whose char-acter, Alan Garner, generated most of the chaos — always denying, in the yelping voice of a spoiled child, that he’d done even the slightest thing wrong.

“The Hangover: Part II” finds the familiar cast in a familiar predicament but a new setting in Thailand. Here, Stu Price (played by Ed Helms) plans to wed his beautiful young fiancée Lauren (Korean American actress Ja-mie Chung). His best friend, the styl-ish ladies’ man Phil Wenneck (Bradley

Cooper), naturally goes along. Garner (Zach Galifianakis) is point-

edly not invited. But Alan, being Alan, whines and mopes in his trademark passive-aggressive manner, until the others bring him along — a decision they’ll regret.

{see HANGOVER cont’d on page 19}

■ AT THE MOVIES

By Andrew HamlinNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

The original “Kung Fu Panda,” an animated film from 2008, gave us the enchanting, if un-likely, premise of an overfed giant panda (voiced by Jack Black) who struggles to master kung fu.

The sequel, “Kung Fu Panda 2,” finds the panda, Po (again voiced by Jack Black), already a kung fu master. But he faces a new menace from Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman), a power-hungry albino peacock who dreams of conquering China. Lord Shen has discovered the secret of gunpowder, and his huge cannons threaten to render kung fu obsolete.

As before, Po takes spiritual advice from his own master, a red panda named Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). However, Shifu plays a much smaller role in this film. He dispenses spiritual advice, sends Po to fight Lord Shen, and then disappears for much of the film.

The Furious Five martial arts team accompa-nies Po on his mission. The team pulls the head-strong panda out of serious trouble many times.

The film doesn’t always take full advantage of its Asian stars. As before, the amazing Jackie Chan plays the Furious Five’s monkey. In the

original “Kung Fu Panda,” he only had three or four lines. Here, he gets seven or eight. But this

{see KUNG FU PANDA cont’d on page 16}

‘Panda 2’ thrilling, though underuses Asian actors

'Hangover 2,' best with Jeong onscreen

西華報發行人吳靜雯社長榮獲華盛頓大學頒發

2011年The Charles E. Odegaard獎

西華報發行人吳靜雯社長榮獲華盛頓大學頒發

2011年The Charles E. Odegaard獎

同敬賀（排名不分先後）

辛澍傑夫婦葉少梅徐子敬林滋強翠苑酒家巴克利律師事務所

Lori Matsukawa Albert Shen Frances Youn

for winning the 2011 Charles E. Odegaard Award of University of Washington

Evelyn Yenson

Frank & Penny Fukui

Tama Murotani-Inaba

Loyu and Shiao Ling Sun

Honorable Bobbe & Jon Bridge

Albert Shen Frances Youn Tan Tho Tien Millie SuDennis Su Dennis Lam Lori Matsukawa Jade Garden Restaurant

Buckley & Associates

from:


OPINION

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.

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

■ EDITORIAL

SPS superintendent shows up in the ID

Last week, a war erupted be-tween Ingraham High School and Dr. Susan Enfield, super-intendent of Seattle Public Schools, after she fired the high school’s principal, Martin Floe. Her decision galvanized the students, faculty, and parents to protest with a petition to keep the principal. She listened and decided to give Floe one more year to improve the school.

The upheaval affected the Northwest Asian Weekly. Last week, we were slated to meet Enfield, but she rescheduled for this week.

No, we did not initiate the interview. Her office did when our editor Stacy Nguyen asked Dr. Enfield for a response to the firing of Amy Chan as human resource director from SPS.

Good on her word, Enfield drove to the ID this Tuesday for the interview.

Did the Ingraham incident cause her sleepless nights? Is there a list of principals she wants to get rid of? What’s her view on diversity? You can read the story next week in the Northwest Asian Weekly.

Made in USA magic“Can you buy two boxes of milk powder for me?” a Chi-

nese woman asked me in a desperate tone last week at Costco.

“Sure,” I said. “Why?”“I am going to China for a few months, and my baby is

a year old. Costco only allows a box per customer (with a coupon).”

She didn’t need to say more. We walked together to the cashier with the USA milk powder.

For years, China has flexed its muscles in investment overseas to develop their influence and brand names. How-ever, tainted milk and other food scandals really crushed China’s credibility.

That USA brand symbolizes reliability. Having the cus-tomer’s confidence is powerful. It doesn’t matter whether a woman is educated or not, rich or poor — she realizes that Made in the USA is safe for her baby.

I still remember the mother’s smile and gratitude after receiving the milk powder from us.

Well, the USA brand rocks.

No more Indian consul office

Atlanta wins and Bellevue loses. A year ago, the Indian community announced that there

will be a new Indian consular office in Bellevue. How ex-cited we were to hear the news!

“There won’t be a consul office (in Bellevue),” said Am-bassador Mrs. Susmita Thomas of San Francisco, at a Bel-levue reception honoring her.

What? I was shocked.Setting up a consulate office is a bilateral agreement be-

tween the United States and India. If a country wants to have a consular office in another country, it has to allow the other country to do the same in its own territory. India asked for two consular offices, one in Atlanta and the other in Bellevue. The United States granted only one office. The Indian government picked Atlanta, which has a much big-ger Indian population, according to Mrs. Thomas.

“They (Atlanta’s Indian community) have been working on this a long time,” said Debadutta Dash. “They lobbied really hard.”

“Doesn’t the United States want to set up more consul offices in India?” I asked.

“No,” Mrs. Thomas said. “The United States is not look-ing to increase its consul offices abroad.”

By the way, Mrs. Thomas is leaving this summer to be India’s ambassador to Turkey. It’s always delightful to see a woman rising up. Congratulations, Mrs. Thomas.

Getting women’s clothes in the kids’ section

I used to be frustrated when shopping for clothes be-

cause I wear a small size and some shops don’t carry petites. Lately, I've discov-ered a new way to find clothes — cheaply.

I hop to the girls’ department. A new world emerges! I love vests. All the stylish vests are in the girls’ department in Macy’s, and they cost only a third as much as those in the women’s section. All I do is pick the extra large size in the kids' department.

The other day, I saw a beautiful hat displayed outside in kids’ store’s window at Southcenter. I asked for the merchandise.

The sales lady asked what age my kid is.“It’s for me,” I replied. For seconds, she was lost for words.I actually helped her out. “Just let me try the one you

have for display,” I said.“These will look good on you, too,” she said, as she

brought out other hats on sale to show me. After trying a couple, I preferred the one I picked. “That one is not on sale,” she said apologetically.I was prepared to pay $15 for the hat. Earlier, I had paid

$28 for a winter hat at Nordstrom.“It’s $6.95,” she said. The Nordstrom hat is a quality hat with lining. The kid's

hat is more casual, easily wrinkled. But I like them both. So ladies, think outside the box. You never know whether

the grass is actually greener in the little women's world.

Chocolate vs. ObamaDo you know how popular President Obama is in a crowd

of law enforcement and military personnel? I used his books for the lucky draw portion of the The

Women of Color Empowered luncheon on May 13, at the New Hong Kong Restaurant. Lucky draw is just a fun raffle at the end to give away small prizes.

There were six bags of Godiva chocolates and two of Obama’s books, “The Audacity of Hope” and “Dreams from my Father.”

The winners of the raffle could choose between the choc-olates and the books.

Five of the winners wanted the candy, only one preferred the book. Sadly, the last winner glumly took the other book when nothing else was left.

Susan EnfieldFrom Ambassador Thomas' last Seattle visit, from left: Habib M. Habib, Debadutta Dash, Ambassador Susmita Thomas, Deepa Thomas, and Ashok Kumar Sinha

If you are surprised over the firing of Rich Cho as general manager (GM) of the Portland Trail Blazers this Monday, you are not the only one. Rich Cho was reportedly shocked, too, having had no inkling of it.

Though we were saddened over the firing of Don Wakamatsu from the Mariners, we were still able to find a reason in it — he was the manager during one of the worst seasons in team history. Some of us saw his dismissal coming, at the very least.

Cho’s firing was very unexpected.After a decent season despite some player injuries, Cho’s

firing could be described, at best, as a strange decision from the top, especially since team owner Paul Allen and Blazers President Larry Miller were both enthusiastically singing Cho’s praises last July.

Cho will be the second GM to leave the Blazers amid

a stir of controversy in less than a year. In 2010, former GM Kevin Pritchard, who was also, at one point, dubbed Portland’s saving grace by the higher-ups, was harshly pushed out of the club only an hour before the 2010 draft.

Apparently, Cho wasn’t fired over his performance, but rather over his lack of chemistry with Allen — which seems rather mystifying because when Cho was first hired, he was a well-respected assistant GM from Oklahoma City who was well-known for his ability to connect with people.

Cho was a fresh face and a fresh mind to the franchise. He brought with him a gift for analysis — in handling contracts and in using newer statistics to gauge player effectiveness. The rationale behind bringing someone young and new into an established franchise is to give the franchise a reboot, to create never-before-seen success with new ideas.

The problem is that sometimes conflicts can arise when two strong people at the top, like Allen and Cho, pull each other in different directions.

Oftentimes as Asian Americans, we forget that work relationships are just as important as job performance. We think that if we simply do our job well, everything will fall into place.

Sometimes, as was the case with Cho and Allen, it’s not so simple to just show up and do your job.

Wakamatsu was the first Asian American manager in Major League Baseball. Cho was the first Asian American GM in the NBA. Neither lasted very long, which is very unfortunate because we need more talented and capable Asian Americans at the head of professional sports teams to serve as examples and inspirations for our youth.

Confused and saddened over Cho firing


The Cities of Bellevue, Bothell, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Port Townsend, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Shoreline, Snoqualmie, and Woodinville, along with NORCOM, King County Housing Authority, Seattle Housing Authority, Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District, Cascade Water Alliance, King County Library

System, Shoreline Fire District, East Pierce Fire and Rescue, Woodinville Fire & Rescue, UW Capital Projects Office (using the A&E roster only), Jefferson Transit and WA. State Transit Insurance Pool are now accepting applications from contractors, consultants and vendors to the Shared Procurement Portal (SPP) Roster program, powered by the eCityGov Alliance. Additional government agencies may join the Shared Procurement Portal at any time.

The SPP would like to welcome our newest member: • City of Redmond

The SPP includes a Small Works Roster (RCW 39.04.155), a Professional Services/Architecture & Engineering Roster (RCW 39.80.030), a General Services Roster, a Legal Services Roster, an Information Technology Roster and a Supply Vendor Roster.

Interested companies may apply at any time, at no cost, by visiting our website sharedprocurementportal.com under Businesses/Application. For questions, call 425-452-6918 or email [email protected].

Applicants currently approved on the SPP are reminded to update their application, upload a new SOQ, and update their Project History page at this time.

**IF YOUR INTERNET CARRIER HAS CHANGED – PLEASE UPDATE THE EMAIL ADDRESSES ON YOUR APPLICATION**

The SPP has recently revised the Professional Services/A&E roster SOQ requirements. Please update by 7/15/11. Consultants who fail to UPDATE their SOQ’s, and provide the information outlined in the new requirements document, may be screened out of consideration until this has been done.

Some or all of the agencies participating in the Shared Procurement Portal may use the rosters to select businesses for public agency contracts. In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 USC 2000d-42 USC 2000d-4 (hereinafter referred to as the Act), and all requirements by or pursuant to Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (hereinafter referred to as Regulations), and other pertinent directives, to the end that in accordance with the Act, Regulations, and other pertinent directives, no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the Recipient receives Federal financial assistance. In addition, the selected contractor, with regard to the work performed during the contract, shall affirmatively support non-discrimination practices, including in the selection and retention of subcontractors and in the procurement of material and equipment.

Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint. For more information contact Title VI coordinator by calling 425-452-4066.

{WOC cont’d from page 1}

Year, one of the highest honors in her field.“My first struggle actually came from a tra-

ditional Chinese family,” said Capt. Annette Louie from the King County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s not expected for Asian females to be in this position or to even be in law enforcement. My father expected his children to get their education and to get into either accounting or engineering. I didn’t follow that path.”

Today, Louie has 31 years in law enforce-ment under her belt and is assistant police chief for the City of SeaTac.

“My parents are from the Dominican Re-public,” said Erika Hunter, program analyst for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Seattle Field Division. “My parents spoke Spanish in the home. They didn’t speak any English. … And I showed up to class one day, and people were speaking a different language. So I ended up coming up in school taking English as a Second Language. With that, I had lots of difficulty reading and had serious reading comprehension issues.”

Hunter read and wrote for hundreds and hundreds of hours, while attending commu-nity college in south Florida, trying to catch up. In 2000, at only 22, Hunter became pla-toon leader of Bravo Company, 2nd platoon, 29th signal battalion, at Fort Lewis.

“I grew up in Chicago, in the projects,” said Det. Denise Bouldin, from the Seattle Police Department (SPD), “where when you go outside your door, and you get ap-proached by drug dealers, [see] crime, and folks trying to get you into prostitution.”

“But thank God I had a strong mom. We were those kinds of kids who were scared of our parents,” Bouldin said. “And so we had to be in before the sun went down. Before the street lights came up, we had to be in the house. I used to hate that because my friends would come out, and I wanted to hang with my friends. … But I was so glad I had strong parents. … Because a lot of my friends end-ed up in jail, cracked out on drugs. A lot of them ended up dying, as well.”

Today, Bouldin is affectionately known throughout Seattle as Detective Cookie. She is the founder of Detective Cookie’s Urban Youth Chess Club.

Watson, Louie, Hunter, and Bouldin were four of the 12 honorees at the Women of Color Empowered Luncheon on May 13, at New Hong Restaurant, in Seattle. The event honored women who have significant accomplishments in law enforcement and the military.

The path to an unconventional careerBouldin has five brothers. Growing up,

she watched the police officers in her neigh-borhood harass her brothers, solely because they were young Black males. As a child, the people around her said they hated the police. It became a feeling that Bouldin also internalized.

“At first, I didn’t know why. I just hated them because everyone else hated them, which is so unfair — to hate someone and you don’t know why you hate them,” said Bouldin, in hind-sight. “And then to hate everyone in that group because of one person. It’s so unfair.”

In high school, Bouldin had dreams of becoming a dancer and teacher — and she did become a dancer for a while. But her goal of teaching was replaced with another calling after one pivotal meeting.

“I met the police officer at my school, and he was so different from everyone else I met on the street,” said Bouldin. “He was so nice. He talked with us. Just meeting that officer, I decided right then that I wanted to be a police officer.”

Despite low SAT scores, Hunter still dreamed of joining the military, partly in-spired by her father, who joined the mili-tary shortly after she was born to provide his family with a better life. She said things turned around for her once she realized that she needed a goal.

“I guess my greatest weakness ended up turning into my greatest strength,” she said.

“I looked up what I needed to do to become an officer of the United States Army. Because I was so behind in my reading ... I had to catch up to the status quo to even get into college.”

Not only did she get into college, she flour-ished. One of her first jobs was as a DEA con-tractor, a position that required lots of analy-sis, reading, and writing — tasks that used to paralyze her. Today, she is principal adviser to the special-agent-in-charge in the Seattle field division, which covers four states.

Like Hunter, Watson also believed that ed-ucation and family were key. To the surprise of many people, she became valedictorian of her high school class. Though her mother had no money saved for her education, Wat-son worked her way through college.

“My mother taught me not to accept the definitions that were given to us,” said Wat-son. “If you know anything about segre-gation in the South — as a child, it can be pretty scary. But my mom was very brave, and it turned out, I was just like her.”

Watson got a job offer from the VA right af-ter graduating. Her first position was in Mich-igan, in the winter, she said, with a laugh.

After Bouldin moved to Seattle and joined SPD, people mocked her. “They thought that I was there for a joke, some of the guys.”

Despite the taunts, she made it through and decided to keep a positive outlook.

“I was the only Black female on the street at that time. It was kind of different. It was different for people to see. But I decided to be like that officer at my high school. I was going to be out there. I was going to meet the kids. I was going to interact with the kids. And I’m going to be a part of them.”

Challenges being in a man’s worldWomen in law enforcement or the mili-

tary often face a subtle kind of discrimina-tion. Many report being sometimes held to a different, perhaps stricter standard, than their white male counterparts.

“When I started my profession, there weren’t many law enforcement supervisors who were female, and there weren’t many supervisors who were people of color,” said Capt. Lisaye Ishikawa, from King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Deten-tion. “So you have to look within to get yourself to where you want to be. One of the things I came across was, ‘Is she here because of the minority quota?’ ”

Currently, Ishikawa works with com-mand staff and administration as part of the management team to serve in a leadership capacity as a jail shift commander.

“Being a woman of color in a traditional white male organization, some peers think that they worked really hard to get where they are, whereas I got where I am because of my gender or my race,” said Hisami Yo-shida, correctional program manager at Stafford Creek Corrections Center. “Also, those I supervise can be more critical of me than their white superiors. I think that is what a lot of women experience in [these roles].”

In 1998, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) published a study, “The Future of Women in Policing: Man-dates for Action.” The study surveyed 800 IACP members and revealed critical infor-mation about women in policing — that women were underused and undervalued in law enforcement, though the number of women in law enforcement was growing.

At the same time, the study also recog-nized that there are strengths in having fe-male police officers. “[The IACP] found there are very unique qualities that women have in the profession. They said that women possess special communication, verbal, and interpersonal skills,” said Lt. Carmen Best from the Seattle Police Department, where she is responsible for overseeing personnel

assigned to community outreach, youth out-reach, school emphasis, media response, the citizen’s police academy, and demographic advisory councils, among other things.

At other times, the challenge that women face in law enforcement isn’t just interper-sonal — it’s physical.

Col. Janice Mano Lehman, who started her career as a nurse and currently works at Madigan Army Medical Center at Lew-is-McChord, bluntly summed it up. “I’m short. And I’m a female.”

Mano Lehman stands at about 5 feet with a small build. At the luncheon, she recount-ed a time during her training when she had to carry a 60-pound bag for miles.

“One of the police tests that I took back then was called the step test,” said Louie, who is about 5'3" and who has worked as an advanced training unit instructor and special assault unit detective. “The step was 30 inches high, and you had to step up and down that silly thing for five minutes as you were monitored. That’s a pretty big step for me. That was 30 years ago. They’ve changed that since then. Now, the test is a little more appropriate for the job,” she said, with a smile.

Sgt. Monica Hunter-Alexander, from Washington State Patrol (WSP), faced an obstacle in the form of tradition. With about 4.5 years under her belt, she thought she was ready to take the exam to become a sergeant. However, tradition dictated that she wait 10 years before taking the exam. People told her she wasn’t ready, something that didn’t sit well with Hunter-Alexander.

“I was a young mother with a young son, and I wanted to be a good role model for my son. I wanted to do a lot of things,” said Hunter-Alexander, who took the exam early and passed.

Master Sgt. Traci Williams has had an esteemed career in the military, which she joined at 30 years of age — later in life than some of the other honorees, but Williams saw it as a calling.

She has been deployed to Haiti, Germa-ny, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, Williams was faced with a certain cultural difference. There were certain inequities between males and fe-males. Due to her position of power, Wil-liams was about to do something about it.

“I happened to be in charge of dispersing all the donations that came from the United

States out to hospitals and out to schools. Being female, being in charge of all that, I’d have to go and talk to the imams, the elders, and see how they’d give our donations. If they weren’t allowing girls to go to schools, I wasn’t going to support that. If they were not allowing females in hospitals, I wasn’t going to support it.”

“We’d take 80 soldiers every week,” she continued. “Convoy out there. Give this stuff away. It was fantastic. Afterward, the soldiers played with kids. It was very, very rewarding.” Words of wisdom

“Being a supervisor, I also look at it like, I have to honor and respect people who take responsibility for their actions and learn from their experience,” said Louie. “I have to make sure that my decisions and actions are fair and consistent, and that I have done the right thing. If I make a mistake, I own it.”

“I believe that I came to this position as much by chance as anything,” said Chief Col-leen Wilson, from the Port of Seattle Police Department. “But you take opportunities as they come. I’ve had blessings. My mother taught me to respect everyone, no matter who they are, or where they came from. … She taught me that if I was stronger or smarter, that it was not a privilege, but an obligation.”

“It’s important to know who you are,” said Linda Hill, Native American Liaison for SPD, who also spoke a bit about the con-flict of identity she felt after the fatal shoot-ing of American Indian John T. Williams last year by an SPD officer. “It’s important to stay in contact with your family, your people. … I’m proud to serve my commu-nities, all of them, at the same time.”

“I truly believe that it’s possible to change an organization,” said Yoshida. “I believe we have lots and lots of examples of how that has happened. Just the very fact that all of us, as women of color, are here today, is a change in how our nation and our organiza-tions have been, through decades and de-cades. It’s possible to change that even more. As women of color, we have a responsibility to actively try to make that change. … may-be we change our organization, and maybe in that process, we change the world.”

Each honoree was given a $45 gift certifi-cate from New Hong Kong Restaurant and flowers from the Northwest Asian Weekly. Parella Lewis, weather anchor and Washing-ton’s Most Wanted correspondent for Q13 FOX News, was master of ceremonies.

For more information, visit womenofcolorempowered.com.

Stacy Nguyen can be reached at [email protected].

“Just the very fact that all of us, as women of color, are here today, is a change in how our nation and our organizations have been, through decades and decades. It’s possible to change that even more.”

— Hisami Yoshida


■ ASTROLOGY

RATDoes it seem like you have been waiting a while for a reply? If a fair amount of time has passed, following up is probably a good idea.

OXIt is natural to feel nervous when you are faced with big changes. Avoid getting too far ahead of yourself by taking things one step at a time.

TIGERIs the rigidness of structure too restrictive for your taste? Going at it on your own might be an option, but it is not without its own set of challenges.

RABBITYou have jumped through many hoops to arrive to this point. Whether you go any further is another question entirely.

DRAGONTired of knocking at the door without a response? It is possible that you have been knocking at the wrong door.

SNAKESome rather startling news has you rethinking your past assumptions. You will hear more revelations before the day is done.

HORSEA small project has snowballed into something much larger. Decide how much more energy you are willing to devote to it.

GOATHaving prepared well for the first round, carry your success further by doing the same for the second.

MONKEYAs hard as it is to keep a secret, it is very important for you to be discreet at the moment. Giving out too much information can be costly.

ROOSTERLooking for a way to connect with your partner without a lot of fuss? Try taking a walk together or something equally low key.

DOGAre you so worried about making the wrong move that you haven’t moved at all? If you risk nothing, then nothing will happen.

PIGPicking your way through the thorny areas is slow going. Be deliberate as you advance, for the clearing is not far off.

For the week of May 28 — June 3, 2011

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 Snake 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001Horse 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.

PROJECT: Cedar Hills Landfill Area 6 Stage 4 Closure (Schedule A); Truck Wash Modifications (Schedule B); and Leachate Force Main Upgrade (Schedule C), C00645C11

SEALED BID TIME/DATE: 1:30 p.m., June 14, 2011LOCATION DUE: King County Procurement &

Contract Services Section, Contracts Counter, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104

ENGINEER’S ESTIMATE: $4,500,000 to $5,000,000

SCOPE OF WORK: Work is located at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, 16645 - 228th Avenue SE, Maple Valley, WA 98038 and includes:

Area 6 Stage 4 Closure (Schedule A ) includes all grading, compacting, trenching, backfilling soils, erosion and sedimentation control, installing geosynthetic materials and pipes and any related work necessary for construction of the following features: the interim cover; the final cover sub-grade; the landfill gas collection system; the final cover system; surface water management con-trols; erosion and sediment controls; and loading and hauling of select fill and daily cover for County operations each day.

Truck Wash Upgrade (Schedule B) includes all grading, compacting, trenching, backfilling, ero-sion and sedimentation control, installation of pumps, slide gates and pipes, concrete, mechani-cal and electrical work and any related work nec-essary for construction of the Work.

Leachate Forcemain Upgrade (Schedule C -

Bid Alternates) includes all traffic control, pave-ment sawcutting, erosion and sedimentation con-trol, excavation, trench safety system, removal of structures and obstructions, installation of drain assembly and or access port assembly, backfill-ing, restoration of the road surface and any re-lated work necessary for construction at the loca-tions described by the Contract Documents:

CONTACT INFORMATION: Tina Phipps, Contract Specialist, 206-263-9329, TTY Relay: 711, Fax: 206-296-7675, or [email protected]. A bidder may be asked to put a question in writing. No verbal answers by any County personnel or its agents and consultants will be binding on the County.

MANDATORY PRE-BID / SITE TOUR: June 2, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. OR June 3, 2011 at10:00 at Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, 16645 - 228th Avenue SE, Maple Valley, WA 98038. A site tour will be conducted immediately following the conference. Hardhats, traffic vests and boots are recom-mended for site tour. FAILURE TO ATTEND ONE OF THE MANDATORY MEETINGS AND SITE TOUR WILL RESULT IN A NON-RESPONSIVE BID DETERMINATION. A sign in sheet will pro-vide evidence of attendance. It is your responsibil-ity to ensure your sign in and out.

APPRENTICESHIP REQUIREMENTS: 5% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement.

SCS UTILIZATION REQUIREMENTS. 5% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Con-

tractors and Suppliers (SCS)BID BOND: Not less than five percent (5%) of the

Total Bid PricePLANS/SPECS: Electronic copies of the plans,

specifications, reference documents, and any addenda for this solicitation can be accessed through an external link from our website shown below to Builder’s Exchange of Washington. This site includes options and instructions for print-ing. Printed documents may also be ordered by contacting Reprographics Northwest at 206-624-2040. Copies of documents 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 Con-tracts Counter: Chinook Bldg, 3rd Floor 401 Fifth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104.

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

WEBSITE: www.kingcounty.gov/procurementThis 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 responsible for any costs incurred in response to this Invitation to Bid.

King County Invitation to Bid

{CHO cont’d from page 1}

Blazers President Larry Miller told CBSSports.com, referring to Paul Allen, who also owns the Seattle Seahawks. “They were just never able to click,” Miller said. “Rich is a smart guy, a really nice guy, brings some talents to the table, but I think if the chemistry isn’t right, it’s hard for it to work.”

Miller said that Cho was shocked over the news of his termination.

“I think over the course of time that Rich has been here, there was the realization that the chemistry just wasn’t there, and we didn’t feel it was going to get any better moving forward,” Miller told The Associ-ated Press.

The Blazers finished the regular season with a record of 48–34, though the team suffered from injuries. There were three years left on Cho’s contract.

“This decision, as difficult as it was to

make, reflects our willingness to admit and recognize that things haven’t worked out,” Allen said in a statement. “We’re go-ing to be tough on ourselves in assessing what we could have done better, and then go out and find the executive who is the best fit with the needs of our franchise. That chemistry and connection is criti-cally important.”

One significant issue arose during Cho’s time with the team. Guard Brandon Roy made critical comments about his playing time and role on the team. The Oregonian reported that Cho wanted to suspend Roy over the comments, but Allen disagreed, and Roy was not suspended.

Miller said that the incident with Roy did not figure into Cho’s departure from the team.

Cho declined to give public interviews, but he did release a statement through the team’s public relations department. “Obvi-ously, it’s a difficult day, but I want to truly

thank Paul Allen and Larry Miller for the opportunity they gave me here in Port-land,” Cho said in his statement. “I also want to thank the fans, players, coaches, business office staff, and especially my basketball operations staff who have sup-ported me along the way. I feel good about the work we’ve done here, and I know the Trail Blazers are headed in the right direc-tion.”

Cho was born in Myanmar, but his fam-ily moved to the United States in 1968 when he was 3 years old. They settled in Federal Way, and he attended Decatur High School.

After graduating from Washington State University with a degree in engineering, Cho worked for five years as an engineer at Boeing before deciding to go to law school. While working on his law degree at Pepperdine University Law School, he interned with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1995.

Cho was eventually promoted to assistant general manager and vice president of le-gal affairs. He drafted and reviewed player contracts, assisted in contract negotiations, and worked on the salary cap support for free agent signings and trades for both the Sonics and the Seattle Storm. Cho also han-dled all the legal work that came with the business, such as sponsorship agreements, licensing issues, employment contracts, and immigration issues.

Cho spent nine seasons as assistant gen-eral manager of the Sonics and the Okla-homa City Thunder.

Miller said there is no timetable for find-ing a new general manager. The team’s Di-rector of College Scouting Chad Buchanan will act as interim general manager for the time being.

Stacy Nguyen can be reached at [email protected].


{SU cont’d from page 1}

and their relatives shared their stories. Among those students were John Edward Fujiwara, Ben

Kayji Hara, Shigeko Hirai (née Iseri), Madeleine Uyehara (née Iwata), Colette Yoshiko Kawaguchi, Masuko Caroline Tani-guchi (née Kondo), June Sakaguchi (née Koto), Joanne Mi-sako Watanabe (née Oyabe), Dr. May Hornback (née Shiga), Mitsu Shoyama, Thomas Tamotsu Yamauchi, and Matsuda.

Nakagawa, who works for SU, was just a child when he was taken to the internment camp. “On March 30, 1942, the first group of Japanese Americans to be removed and incarcerated came from Bainbridge Island,” he said. “They were sent to a destination unknown to them. They were to bring with them what they could carry and what they could wear. Then, on April 24, 1942, in this neighborhood and on these telephone poles, went up an edict that pertained to the Japanese Americans of Executive Order 9066 [that] in about four or five days, they were able to start gathering families to be moved to the fairgrounds of Puyallup.”

Nakagawa grew up on what is now a part of the Seattle University campus. His parents owned a small grocery store on 11th and James Street before they were taken to the Puyal-lup Assembly Center. “We were then moved in the summer and early fall, taking a train to a remote area that we did not know about in southern Idaho,” said Nakagawa. “We were told, as we boarded the train, to draw the shades for they did not want us to know where we were going. We disembarked in the middle of the desert — not a train station.

“Though I was never told by my parents or by others, I am certain that in their minds, they thought they were going to be killed in the desert. We saw military trucks and buses com-ing to take us to the place called Minidoka. Their fear must have been great, but my parents never let us know and, to this day, I have never had the privi-lege of a mother or father talk about their experience. They lived and kept it within themselves. Culturally, I guess that was correct for them.”

Karen Korematsu, daughter of the late Fred Ko-rematsu, also expressed a similar frustration. She found out about her father’s internment in high school — accidentally. Her brother Ken found out the same way four years later. Their parents had not thought to tell them. “You didn’t ask,” they said.

Because he was so young and largely sheltered from knowing the entirety of what was happening to them, Nakagawa said that his experience was likely very different from the older generation. He regrets that he couldn’t properly thank his parents for their sacrifice in protecting him from the bur-den of their fear and suffering, stating that by the time he realized this, “it was too late.”

Fred KorematsuIn the landmark case of Korematsu vs. United

States, Fred Korematsu challenged the constitu-tionality of Executive Order 9066, but the Su-preme Court sided with the government, ruling that the order was constitutional.

Almost 40 years later, Korematsu’s felony convic-tion for evading internment was overturned and void-ed. However, the Supreme Court case precedent is still in effect, as its decision has not been overturned.

During the SU program, Karen Korematsu in-troduced “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights,” a docu-mentary about her father co-produced by her broth-er Ken and filmmaker Eric Fournier, saying, “He felt that what he did was right and the government was wrong. … He knew that he had rights — he had learned about the constitution in high school.”

As the film screened, Karen Korematsu squeezed the hand of Professor Lorraine Bannai, one of the lawyers who had worked pro bono on her father’s case in 1983. Bannai is an associate director for SU’s School of Law, which is named after Fred Korematsu. Bannai was instrumental in the university’s program to award honorary de-grees to its incarcerated Nisei students.

Making waves“Growing up, kids called me a Jap and blamed

me for Pearl Harbor,” said Korematsu. “It was something we always carried with us.” Her father was often refused service in restaurants.

Not only was her father treated like a pariah in the 1940s for evading internment and fighting for his rights in court, but the ill-feelings followed him when he appealed his case in 1983. “Every-one questioned him. ‘Why do you want to bring all that up again?’ ” said Karen Korematsu.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded her fa-ther with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

“People were saying, ‘Fred doesn’t deserve this.

It should be someone else.’ But he didn’t hold a grudge — he just sort of carried on.”

Karen Korematsu thinks that the Japanese American community then did not support her father partly because of jealousy and partly be-cause he did not adhere to their cultural values. “There were those higher up in the JACL (Japanese

American Citizens League) that thought they deserved to get the award. [My father] never became a member. They didn’t support him. … He believed [internment] was unconstitution-al, pure and simple. He didn’t follow the sheep, and there were those that thought that wasn’t a good reason to be honored.”

“It’s a part of Japanese culture,” she said, “to do the right thing and not to make waves — it’s ingrained in you growing up.”

Echoes of the past“History tends to allow you to take time to see what re-

ally happened. I often wondered as I worked with the Ger-man and Italian American community, why they did not have the experience of incarceration,” said Nagawa, skepti-cal of whether internment was really a military necessity.

Like Nakagawa, Fred Korematsu stressed the importance of education in continuing the legacy of those who were in-carcerated. “He realized that in order for incarceration not to happen again, education was the key. He looked to his

attorneys, like we do the students here, to safeguard our civil liberties,” said Karen Korematsu, drawing parallels between the Japanese American incarceration and 9/11, where mili-tary necessity was also used to justify racial discrimination and racial profiling. “Then we used words like alien and non-alien. Now, it’s documented and undocumented,” she said.

Dale Watanabe, an international student adviser at Seat-tle University and the emcee for the program, pointed out, “Special registration is still required for Muslim students.”

Moving forwardDuring this year's commencement on June 12, SU will

award honorary degrees (nine posthumously) to 12 stu-dents who were unable to complete their studies.

Matsuda, with her husband, who was also interned and sub-sequently served as a soldier in France and Italy, sitting quietly by her side, said, “I speak for the other people, too, how grate-ful we all are for this honor. I’m very happy and I’m sure they are happy in their own way, but please pray for us sometimes.”

Karen Korematsu urged students to continue her father’s legacy by getting involved in supporting the Asian American community and sharing their stories. “You have the opportu-nity to learn from history, so you have ammunition to face to-morrow,” she said. “As my father would say, ‘Don’t be afraid to speak up! Prejudice is ignorance, and we need to appreciate our differences, not be afraid of them. We all have that ability, responsibility, and privilege to challenge the government.’ ”

For more information, visit www.korematsuinstitute.org.

Jean Wong can be reached at [email protected].

Yosh Nakagawa

Phot

o by

Jea

n W

ong/

NW

AW


{BANGKOK cont’d from page 6}

returned to normal long ago, the societal di-vide between the haves and have-nots that transformed its streets into a battleground last year remains wide. Some fear the rift could spark new violence as the country heads toward July 3 elections.

The vote will be fiercely contested, and closely watched by an anxious military that has staged 18 coups in the last century, the latest in 2006 against ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose sister was named this week to head the main opposition party.

Rights groups blame both sides for stok-ing the crisis, which killed at least 90 peo-ple and wounded 2,000 between April and May 2010. During those months, more than 100,000 demonstrators, mainly from the countryside, camped out in the financial district and brought the city of steep high-rises to its knees — occupying major roads and shutting down international hotels and shopping malls.

Opposition leaders had urged their sup-porters to turn Bangkok into a “sea of fire” — something many tried to do in wide-spread arson attacks after armored military vehicles finally moved in to disperse the crowds. Among the protesters were shadowy black-shirted militants armed with grenade launchers, pistols, and automatic weapons.

The government says it proceeded care-fully to minimize casualties as it tried to restore order, setting several deadlines for

protesters to disperse. But rights groups say it used disproportionate and excessive force — including live ammunition and snipers.

And since then, “nobody on the govern-ment side has been held accountable,” said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

“We’ve said to the government over and over again, ‘If you really want to heal, you need to hold some of your officials accountable.’ ”

Instead, the lack of justice is driving the sides further apart, Adams said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s admin-istration has tried to heal wounds by offer-ing compensation to victims: 400,000 baht ($13,000) payments to those who lost loved ones, lesser amounts to those injured, and lifetime monthly assistance to the disabled.

But it has also aggressively pursued op-position leaders and critics, shutting down pro-opposition radio stations, and jailing hundreds — some for alleged acts of “terror-ism” or insulting the nation’s revered king.

“Certainly, if you ask me if there is rec-

onciliation today, I have to say ‘not yet,’ ” Abhisit said in a speech this month. But “the government has asserted the rule of law to show that Thailand is governed by law, and ... the work on establishing recon-ciliation has already begun.”

To that end, the government set up the Truth for Reconciliation Commission to piece together what happened last spring. Establishing the truth is necessary before the nation can move forward, chief investi-gator Somchai Homlaor said. But that task has not been easy.

The commission cannot issue subpoenas or grant immunity in exchange for testimo-ny. And Somchai said that although investi-gators have interviewed hundreds of people, some — particularly soldiers and some Red Shirts — were initially reluctant, suspicious of the panel’s aims or fearful of prosecution.

“There must be justice first,” Somchai told The Associated Press in an interview. “Oth-erwise, reconciliation will not happen.”

One problem is that “the culture of impuni-

ty is very strong in Thailand,” Somchai said. The DSI investigation identified 13 cases

in which security personnel may have been involved in potentially unlawful killings. The cases were transferred to police for further investigation and possible indict-ment three months ago, but none have been referred to courts.

Adams said he believes the government — which opponents allege ascended to power only because of military pressure on some lawmakers to defect from a previously Thaksin-allied government — “is afraid of taking on the army.” The government says justice must be allowed to run its course.

The paramedic, Kamolkate, died inside Wat Pathum Wanaram, a Buddhist temple wedged between glitzy shopping malls along a street that had been occupied by demonstrators for weeks.

When the fatal volley of gunfire struck her in the thigh and back, Kamolkate was treating a mortally wounded protester. An-other man who rushed to help her also was shot in the head and killed.

The DSI said green-tipped 5.56 mm bullets — used in the Thai army’s M16 assault rifles — were found in the bodies of Kamolkate and at least three other people. Human Rights Watch says no arms were found in the temple.

When Payao recounts the loss, tears stream down her cheeks.

“Those who killed my daughter should be put on trial,” she said. “Why is that so hard?”

{KUNG FU PANDA cont’d from page 11}

still feels like a serious waste of his personality, and a snub to his decades-long history in martial arts film.

Lucy Liu as the viper snake gets a bit more respect, and a few more lines. As a new character, called the Soothsayer, Michelle Yeoh brings implacable calmness to counteract Master Shen’s frequent rages.

James Hong, whose credits include “Big Trouble In Little China” and frequent guest ap-pearances on the old “Kung Fu”

television series, repeats his role as the goose, Mr. Ping, Po’s father. His warmth, humor, and sadness add up to one of the film’s finest performances.

If you’re wondering to yourself how a goose can hatch out a panda, you are not alone. This disparity,

never addressed in the first film, becomes an important plot point in the second.

To defeat Lord Shen, Po must learn the dark secrets about where he came from. His past threatens to overwhelm him. He must call on his inner strength and inner

peace to survive. He will also need the Furious Five more than ever.

Jennifer Yuh Nelson, the director of “Kung Fu Panda 2,” has a back-ground in illustration and comic books. This shows in the film’s elaborate design plans. The pres-ent tense, ancient history, and Po’s visions showcase three different looks, each one elaborately envi-sioned and beautifully executed.

The 3-D process also adds to the thrills, if not the storytelling. Knives, fangs, feathers, noses, and Po’s often-contorted face fill the screen and, seemingly, the first few rows of the theater, as action

sequence follows action sequence.The movie maintains a rapid and

exciting pace, but doesn’t neglect the deeper reaches of Po’s back-story. Moment for moment, it’s even better than the first install-ment. A surprise at the end lets us know that a future “Panda” lies in wait.

“Kung Fu Panda 2” opens Thurs-day, May 26, in Seattle. Check local listings for theaters, prices, and showtimes.

Andrew Hamlin can be reached at [email protected].

{HANGOVER cont’d from page 11}

As before, our merry men find themselves drugged, by Alan. They wake up the next morn-ing in a seedy Bangkok hotel far from the ritzy resort reserved for the wedding. A crucial member of their party — the bride’s younger brother Teddy (Mason Lee) — is missing. Since Teddy and Lauren’s very rich and very strict father loves Teddy more than Lauren, or anybody else, the others must find him or face ruin.

A crucial player from the first film returns for an even more im-portant part in the sequel. This is Dr. Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow, a flamboyant cocaine dealer and in-ternational criminal.

In real life, Jeong holds a medi-cal degree from the University of Chapel Hill at Carolina. You would never guess this by watching his performance as Chow, however. Howling, cackling, drug-snorting, and often naked or nearly so, Les-lie Chow is the most dynamic char-acter onscreen here. When he dis-appears for a few reels, the film’s energy begins to flag.

As the fiancée, Jamie Chung ap-pears quite beautiful, although she isn’t given much to do except look worried. The city of Bangkok it-self, and its surroundings, appear much more significant than some of the flesh-and-blood players.

The wedding resort appears pretty as a postcard. So do some of the time-lapse shots of the city at night. But a “Hangover” movie

concerns itself with the lower im-pulses of humanity. And Bangkok has plenty of that to show.

The city’s infamous sex indus-try figures in the film’s action. More pervasive, though, are the constant shots of crowded ave-nues, taxis, fruit carts, and street markets.

Power outages, from an over-worked grid serving a population of 9.1 million, happen frequently. Lo-cal residents seem to shrug at these conditions, although the film’s hap-less Americans never know how to manage. A surprising sequence at a Buddhist monastery on the out-skirts of the scene adds both martial arts violence and gentle reflection to the action.

The characters in “The Hang-over” will never learn the adult

lessons of responsibility, modera-tion, and humility. Their underly-ing narcissism prevents that. On top of which, of course, the mov-ies no longer inspire laughter. But, so long as we can feel superior to Alan and the others, we can accept them as clowns. A more mature film, or a more mature audience, might ask if people like them exist in real life. In the meantime, enjoy the scenery, the chuckles, and the transsexual strippers.

“The Hangover: Part II” opens Thursday, May 26, in Seattle. Check local listings for theaters, prices, and showtimes.

Andrew Hamlin can be reached at [email protected].

{HOSPITAL cont’d from page 6}

complaint about the incident, an upset super-visor told her the policy was part of the pa-tient’s care plan, devised by the director of the Center for Forensic Studies, Dr. Mary Louise Jones.

The decision to grant the patient’s request was apparently made in March, Wing said, though it’s not clear why the policy was insti-tuted then. Some of the plaintiffs had worked with the patient for years without any racially motivated problems, he said.

The lawsuit said that in 2009, one securi-

ty attendant told the patient repeatedly — in the presence of three other attendants, one of whom was African — “They eat white peo-ple in Africa.” The attendant who made the comments was temporarily reassigned to the kitchen.

To the extent that the patient’s professed racism is genuine, it might have been exacer-bated by that episode, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claims violations of equal pro-tection and civil rights. It asks the court to bar Western Statefrom continuing the policy, and seeks compensation for emotional distress as well as punitive damages.

酒家Tea Garden Restaurant

SeattleBusiness Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 9 am 10 pm;Fri.-Sat. 9 am 11 pmDim sum 9 am -3 pm

Tel:206-709-9038 Fax:206-709-9039708 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98144

F R E E P A R K I N G

Lots of delicious dishes to choose from!Special luxury VIP room available!

We provide all your party needs!

Dim SumDaily

Tea Palace is the largest fine Asian cuisine banquet restaurant in the Pacific Northwest with contemporary décor and ample parking. Tea Palace has the facilities to accommodate private functions and banquets of up to 800.

Dim Sum • Lunch • Dinner • Banquet

2828 Sunset Lane NE, Renton, WA 98056Business: 425-228-9393 Banquet: 206-788-6690 Fax: 425-228-5755Email: [email protected] Website: www.teapalacerestaurant.com

Renton

$3.98

$6.88

$9.98

$15.98

$19.98

$11.98

Live SeafoodGreat familystyle dinners

Spicy Stir-fried Crabw/ garlic, ginger & sea scallion

Spicy Stir-fried Crabw/ garlic, ginger & sea scallion

$9.95 /lb$9.95 /lb

Pho All DayVietnamese CuisinePho All Day

Vietnamese Cuisine

Specials(Appetizer+Entrée+drink)

• Vietnamese Grilled Selections• Stir Fried Dishes• Vietnames Sandwich• Fresh Fruit Bubble Tea• Authentic Iced Coffee

Hours: Mon – Thurs 10:30 am – 9:30 pm; Fri 10:30 am -10:00 pm Sat 11:00 am – 10:00 pm; Sun 11:00 am – 9:30 pm

425-467-8408

150 105th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004

10% off(valid until

Dec 31,2010)

Vietnames Cuisine

Nightly Entertainment

Kent

Chinese Restaurant Chinese Restaurant

七天營業:10:30am -10:00pm

(Inside Great Wall Mall)

順利得飲食世界

Suite #165, 18230 East Valley Highway Kent, WA 98032 Tel: (425) 251-1988

Wonton, Congee, Hot Rice Pots,Come Join us for Dinner & Snacks

Untraditional approach.Five master chefs in one kitchen

create the best in Chinese cuisines.

Dimsum Daily!

“We’ve said to the government over and over again, ‘If you really want to heal, you need to hold some of your officials accountable.’ ”

— Brad Adams


Moving Hauling & Taxing» Clean up yard waste & debris» Tree trimming, mowing & landscaping» Moving, transporting, taxing to & from airport etc. ...

(206) 254-3259(206) 694-3780

Law Office of Richard LinnEn-Tie Soon, Attorney at Law

Mandarin spoken12501 Bel-Red Rd. Suite 209 Bellevue, WA 98005

425-646-6028Search for office on Facebook

K&W LAW Immigration. Landlord-Tenant. (206) 240-3611

Affordable Rates. Payment Plans. Free Consultation.7683 SE 27th St., Suite 421 Mercer Island, WA 98040www.knutson-weatherstone.com

new construction residential/commercial repair renovation remodeling

[email protected]

Style Remodeling, Inc.Licensed Bonded & Insured

Clara lingReal Estate Agent

(425) 922-9088Buying or Selling

Home & PropertyHorizon Enterprise Real Estate

Estate Planning & Probate Secure Your Legacy

Property • Family • Healthwww.SDFeldmanLaw.com

www.SeattleProbateBlog.com

▪ Troubled? Worried? Can’t find the answer to that unsolvable problem?▪ Love, marriage, sickness, family affair, business transactions, separations, or divorce. ▪ If you or your love one has alcoholic or drug problems,

trying to have baby but can’t, let me help you turn your life around. ▪ One visit will convince you of my ability. 45 years experience in my professions.▪ Phone reading▪ House call available

Tel .: 206-255-3452Tol l f ree: 866-463-8355

100% guarantee

1 free questionby phone!

Bring this ad! 1/2 price on all readings!

SPIRITUAL HEALER — Guaranteed results in 24 hrs.Finally there is a born gifted healer you can trust ...

206-388-3380Lillian has over 40 years experience in helping people all over the world. She will know the causes of your problems without asking any questions and knows how to solve them, reveal names of enemies, reunite lovers, stops divorce, cure sickness, help childless couples, bring success to business, jobs, exams, etc. Remove bad luck from homes, family, and business, and bringing you peace.

“Our business was falling, we had no hope until my husband called

Lillian for help. Few days later, we started to see

amazing results.”

“Someone had wished I wouldn’t marry the man I love ... Thanks to Lillian, we are now

happily married!”

“We have been married for six years and had no children.

Thanks to Lillian, we now have two

healthy kids.”If Lillian cannot help you, no one can!She is superior to all others. She is one of the only certified Spiritual healers.

phone 360-725-5667fax 360-586-9501

[email protected]

210 11th Ave. S.W. Room 301, General Administration Building, Olympia, WA 98504

Statewide liaison between government and AAPI communities. Monitors and informs public about laws, programs, and policies.


520 Corridor Constructors is requesting quotes and/or letters of interest from all qualified sub-contractors and suppliers, including certified DBE firms, for the construction of the following:

SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge and Landings Project

ACCEPTING QUOTES FOR THE FOLLOWING: Hazardous Materials, Demolition, Traffic Control, Painting, Pile Driving, Drill Shaft

(CIDH), Earthwork, Concrete Pavement, Concrete Bridges, Concrete Grinding/Sawing/Sealing, Precast Concrete, Concrete Flatwork, Concrete Coating, Pavement Marking, Rebar Installers and Suppliers, Dewatering, Asphalt, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumb-ing, HVAC, Drywall, Elevator, Flooring, Insulation, Overhead Door, Fencing, Irrigation, Fire Suppression, Signing, Waterproofing, Lifting/Crane, Equipment Supply, Trucking, Aggregates, Steel, Steel Erection, Landscaping, Post-Tensioning, Tie Backs, Shotcrete, Soil Nails, FRP Access Systems, Various Misc. Metals, Expansion Joints, Bearings, Tug Boat Services, Diving, Surveying, Environmental, Inspection for QC/QA, Anchor Cables, Watertight Doors and Hatches, Noise Wall, Formwork and Others

520 Corridor Constructors intends to negotiate with all qualifiedDBE firms, to encourage project participation, including consideration of quotes for any item of work, portion of an item, or combination thereof. If you require information regarding assistance in obtaining bonding, insurance, credit, equipment, supplies, materials, or related services, please call our office.

LETTERS OF INTEREST AND QUOTES DUE BY: Friday, June 3, 2011, by 5:00 PMTo express interest in the project, please contact Kevin Ford or Lindsey Brooks at

(425) 453-6707 or email letters of interest to [email protected] or [email protected]. General Project information can be found on WSDOT’s website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/contaa/DESIGNBUILDCONTRACTS.

520 CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTORS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ALL QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR EMPLOYMENT WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, AGE, OR DISABILITY.

The Design-Builder in accordance to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat.252, 42 U.S. Code 2000d to 2000d-4, and Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color national origin and sex in con-sideration for an award.

A joint venture between Walsh Con-struction and Weeks Marine846 108th Ave NE, Suite 210

Bellevue, WA 98004T: (425) 453-6707 | F: (425) 458-9094

{SLUM cont’d from page 7}

police calmly shot her dogs, five pets she’d raised since they were puppies and whose names she still recites like a rosary of mourning.

“When they moved us out, it was like we all were damaged somehow,” said Beniwar. “They left us broken.”

A decade after the bulldozers came, the property on Raj Niwas Marg is almost un-recognizable.

For years, it was left empty, a rare quiet spot in one of the world’s most crowded cit-ies. Lawsuits were fought, appealed, and abandoned. The land grew ever more valu-able. Realtors say the city could sell it for $30 million today, maybe more.

Finally, in November, the bulldozers came back with an army of construction workers. Hills of dirt are now piled nearly as high as the few remaining trees, and foundations

have been laid for four sprawling official residences for high-level city employees.

Over the years, the people of No. 8 Raj Niwas Marg have moved farther and farther from the center of town, chased by constant-ly rising rents. Most now live in neighbor-hoods where you go block after potholed block without seeing a single tree, where residents live in squat buildings that start crumbling six months after they’re built.

Trans Yamuna is one such place. Shan-ti Devi now lives there with three of her daughters and one grandson, jammed into a one-room apartment with a steel door, no window, and a concrete floor.

She has moved seven times since the shantytown was demolished. And she’s al-ways waiting — waiting for the next call from the landlord, for the next rent increase to force them out again.

“I keep wondering,” she said, “where I can run to now.”

{PETITE cont’d from page 1}

What is a petite size?Generally, regular sizes are made for women who are

at least 5'5", without shoes. Petite sizes are generally for women 5'3" or less.

A petite woman who has her eye on a regular size shirt would have to alter the shirt. In addition to altering the sleeve length, she would also have to take in the bust, waist, and even sleeve circumference. The process is not always easy and can lead to unsightly seams.

The average American woman is about 5'4", according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Forty percent of women are 5'3" or shorter. About 25 per-cent of women are 5'1" or shorter.

Blog inspirationYu is the blogger behind Fast Food and Fast Fashion,

which she started eight months ago. It already has nearly 300 followers.

In an effort to dress more professionally after college, Yu started the blog to document her quest to build a better wardrobe.

However, being Asian, Yu feels that she is “genetically predisposed to be smaller in build.” However, she doesn’t see this as a flaw. “[It’s] merely a characteristic I was born to work with,” she said. She has learned to work with her size 00 (double zero) petite and her 23-inch waist.

Nguyen is the blogger behind Petite Little Girl, which she started in May 2010. Like Yu, she is tiny.

“At 5'3" and 95 pounds, I typically wear a 00P in pants and XXSP in dress or top,” said Nguyen. “My waist mea-sures 24 inches. I am wearing a [size] 6.5 in shoes.”

Nguyen started her blog after striking out clothes shop-ping in stores and through online retailers.

“The biggest challenge is limited stock,” said Nguyen. “Most mainstream stores don’t carry petite sizes in-store. Even when they do carry petite sizes in-store, items seem to sell out fast. Sometimes, petite sizes are marked at high-er prices than regular sizes.”

The selection for petite sizes is limited because clothing manufacturers often make clothes for the most common sizes in order to maximize profits. Promotion for petite-sized clothing lags behind plus-sized advertising. Nguyen searched for a solution in the blogosphere.

“I’ve found several petite fashion blogs through a Google search,” said Nguyen. “I enjoyed their blogs so much that after a month, I decided to start my own petite fashion blog.

… Blogging is also a great way to communicate and inter-act with other ladies who share the same interests.”

The fit problemNguyen’s ‘normal-sized’ friends don’t understand her

problem.“People usually assume all petites are skinny,” said

Nguyen. “That’s a false statement. They [also] think the problem will be easily fixed by downsizing. Although many brands offer clothes with a short inseam, the best fit-ting clothes are scaled especially for petite women. Petite sizing and extra small are not the same. I don’t think they would understand the difference between the two unless they’re petites and running into the same issues.”

U.S. clothing sizes used to be standardized by using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) speci-fications, which were developed from statistical data. How-ever, today, sizes will vary between different designers, manufacturers, and retailers due to the prevalence of vanity sizing, or size inflation, particularly in women’s clothing.

According to SizeUSA, a 2003 survey by research group [TC2], the average American woman is about 155 pounds and 5'4". She is also about 20 pounds heavier than she was 40 years ago, though she may still wear a size 10.

Also, the average American woman’s ethnicity is chang-ing. As the Asian and Latino populations in the country continue to grow, clothing manufacturers change their of-ferings to reflect the demographics. Some have suggested that the 00 size was introduced partly because of the rise of Asian markets. In a Newsweek article, Jim Lovejoy, indus-try director for SizeUSA, points out that different clothing developers cater to different markets, so fits in particular markets will vary from brand to brand.

All of this leads to a headache when it comes to finding the right clothes.

“My biggest challenge when shopping is finding pants that fit in a flattering way,” said Yu. “My legs are rather

muscular. It’s always a struggle finding pants that fit my waist that also fit my thighs.”

With detailed pictures and descriptions, Yu’s blog posts display her trials and errors with different sizes and brands to inform others of what has worked and what has not.

One of her latest entries had a photo of her in a size 00 skirt from J. Crew. To show everyone how ill-fitting the skirt was, Yu took a picture of herself sideways, stretching the waist to display how much room lies between the skirt and her belly.

“I hate their (J. Crew) size inflation,” said Yu. “I bought this in a size 00, thinking that I might only barely fit in. Turns out even I was sized out by this skirt. Not a mini on me at all.”

Nguyen sometimes resorts to online shopping, which she says isn’t reliable.

“Online shopping can be frustrating when you don’t know what to expect in terms of the fit and the quality,” she said. “[But] often times, I depend on online reviews from other petite fashion bloggers. After seeing the reviews, I have a pretty good idea in terms of how this item would fit on me before purchasing the item. With that, it eliminates the hassle of online shopping.”

Building a communityOn her blog, Nguyen reviews certain brands and stores, and

she lists her likes and dislikes. At the end, she gives a verdict, that is, her honest opinion of the merchandise at hand.

So far, she has gained more than 400 followers, and her readership includes more than just petite-sized women.

“I always appreciate comments and feedback from my readers,” she said. “They have helped me tremendously.”

Because of petite Asian bloggers like Nguyen and Yu, the petite blogging community has grown exponentially. A year ago, there was only one blog on Blogspot that focused on petite style (AlterationsNeeded). Now, there are about 50.

Ping Luu, owner of fashion blog All about Fashion Stuff and also a petite Asian woman, follows both Fast Food and Fast Fashions and Petite Little Girl. She resorts to these blogs for size information, ideas, and inspiration.

“I always value and trust their opinion on what fits. They have introduced me to brands that I’d never consider shop-ping at.”

For more information, visit www.fastfoodandfastfashion and www.petitelittlegirl.com.

Nan Nan Liu can be reached at [email protected].

Architects, Consultants & ContractorsKCLS Library Contract Information Available Online!

Check www.kcls.org/buildings for information about KCLS construction and the latest available

details on current and pending projects.Requests for Proposals•Requests for Qualifications•Current Project Bid Listing•Call for Art Proposals•Site Selection Policy•

Announcements of Finalists•Community Meetings•Contacts•New Releases•

The King County Library System recognizes strength and value within our communities, and we encourage all interested and qualified service providers to review

our public bid construction opportunities.

Contact Kelly Iverson, Facilities [email protected] or 425.369.3308

“People usually assume all petites are skinny,” said Nguyen. “That’s a false statement. They [also] think the problem will be easily fixed by downsizing. Although many brands offer clothes with a short inseam, the best fitting clothes are scaled especially for petite women.”

— Sydney Nguyen


{SIFF cont’d from page 10}

there is a language barrier, Atusko joins the group, and the lo-cal males are drawn to the “exotic” youth from Japan.

Despite not knowing English, she observes the personali-ties of the small town and recognizes the problems underlying each person she encounters.

The movie has similarities to “Lost in Translation” starring Bill Murray, but in “Littlerock” Atusko attempts to navigate American culture without the ability to communicate through language. Rural America is depicted as having a hometown, inclusive feel and as a place of despair where youths wish to escape but do not know how to leave. The movie also touches upon issues of race in this predominantly white town.

There are no subtitles for Atusko as she uses her native Japanese with the townspeople although they do not under-stand her. This gives the audience the chance to experience the frustration of not knowing what is said and relying on body language to understand. “Littlerock” shows how people have the ability at times to communicate with each other without words. And other times, they are unable to communicate even though they need to connect.

Showtimes: Harvard Exit Theatre, Friday, May 27, 9:30 p.m.Admiral Theatre, Saturday, May 28, 3:30 p.m.

“Marathon Boy” In-dia (2010), directed by Gemma Atwal Reviewed by Jason Cruz

This documentary tells the story of Indian-born

Budhia Singh and the quest to become a running phenom-enon. From the slums of India, Singh is born to an abusive, alcoholic father and destined to live the life of a beggar. His mother sells Singh at an early age, and he is eventually taken by a local Judo coach, Biranchi Das, who runs an orphanage for slum children. Discovering Singh has a knack for running, he grooms Singh to become India’s greatest runner with hopes of competing in the Olympics.

The documentary follows Singh from age 4 as he embarks on incredible, if not inhuman, endurance runs. Within six months of training, Singh runs 20 half marathons (13.1 miles each) and in a year of training, he runs 48 full marathons (26.2 miles each).

The amazing feats by Singh gain praise and iconic status from the Indian onlookers that cheer him on as he passes. However, there are distressing images of Singh after he finish-es a difficult 65-kilometer (40.3 miles) run in extreme heat. As Singh convulses and vomits from heat exhaustion, the adults in charge look helpless and deny that he is suffering physical trauma. This is when local child welfare officials step in to charge Das with cruelty. This might be the appropriate mea-sure, but for the intimation that the government officials might be corrupt and are seeking to gain notoriety from the boy.

Although a documentary, the story plays out like a drama

with surprises throughout. One learns of betrayal, corruption, and exploitation surrounding the boy.

Director Gemma Atwal provides the viewer with unfettered access to all of the major players, which gives the audience a disturbing look behind the fight for the marathon boy.

Showtimes:Admiral Theatre, Monday, May 30, 1:00 p.m.SIFF Cinema, Sunday, June 5, 7:00 p.m.Egyptian Theatre, Wednesday, June 8, 4:30 p.m.

“Saigon Electric,” Viet-nam (2010), directed by Stephane Gauger Reviewed by Jason Cruz

“Saigon Electric” tells the story of two young girls trying to live out their dreams in modern day Saigon. Mai is a naïve girl from the country-side hoping to be admitted into the national dance academy as a ribbon dancer. Kim is a rebellious hip hop dancer belonging to a local crew with dreams of making it big. When

Mai is not admitted to the dance academy, she stays in Saigon with Kim, rather than returning home to face the shame of her family. Mai is embraced by Kim’s dance crew as they prepare for a contest that could land them a chance for fame and fortune. However, the community center, where the crew practices and many of the crew call home, is threatened to be destroyed by a developer.

In addition to preparing for the hip hop competition, Kim falls in love with a wealthy boy who promises her a new life that could lead her away from her hip hop family. Mai begins a romance with the leader of the hip hop dance crew. Also, Mai must deal with her angry landlord, a music professor who is dealing with alcoholism.

Instead of using their fists to solve disputes, the local crews breakdance. The movie has its share of hip hop and techno beats as the Vietnamese youth in “Saigon Electric” adopt the American hip hop culture, from the music to the baggy clothes to the breakdance moves of the 1980s.

The movie is reminiscent of dance movies of the past, where an out-of-place dancer adopts her surroundings, falls in and out of love, and comes together with her newfound friends for a common cause. In the end, there is an entertaining dance off in which Mai and Kim’s crew squares off with its rival. While formulaic, “Saigon Electric” has enough energy and interest-ing characters to make it a movie to check out.

Showtimes:Neptune Theatre, Saturday, May 28, 7:15 p.m.AMC Pacific Place 11, Monday, May 30, 3:00 p.m.Everett Performing Arts Center, Wednesday, June 1, 6:30 p.m.

Jason Cruz and Andrew Hamlin can be reached at [email protected].

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

A Barefoot Dream (South Korea)An inspirational David and Goliath tale of a former professional soccer player, who coaches kids from East Timor. AMC Pacific Place 11, Thursday May 26, 7 p.m.

Bruce Lee, My Brother (Hong Kong) The movie traces the early years of kung fu legend Bruce Lee’s life, from the perspective of his brother, Robert Lee. Neptune Theatre, Friday, May 27, 7 p.m. Neptune Theatre, Saturday, May 28, 1:30 p.m. Everett Performing Arts Center, Tuesday, May 31, 9 p.m.

Dance Town (South Korea) A North Korean woman forced to flee to South Korea after her husband is arrested, and struggles for freedom. Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, Monday, May 23, 6 p.m. Harvard Exit, Monday, May 30, 9 p.m. Admiral Theatre, Wednesday, June 1, 9 p.m.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (China)A trip-roaring martial arts movie about the disgraced forensic genius Detective Dee. Neptune Theatre, Wednesday, June 1, 7 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, Monday, June 6, 9:30 p.m.

Grandma, A Thousand Times (United Arab Emirates) A documentary movie about Teta Kaabour, an 83-year-old family matriarch and the sharp-witted queen bee of an old Beiruti quarter. SIFF Cinema, Thursday, June 2, 4:30 p.m. Kirkland Performance Center, Friday, June 10, 5 p.m.

Late Autumn (South Korea) A convict returns home for her mother’s funeral. She strikes up an unlikely relationship with an escaped escort on the streets of Seattle. Harvard Exit, Sunday, May 29, 6:45 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, Tuesday, May 31, 4 p.m.

Outrage (Japan) When the leader of Sanmo-kai Yakuza found out that one his lieutenants has made an alliance with a rival drug-dealer, retribution is swift and brutal. Everett Performing Arts Center, Friday, May 27, 9:30 p.m.

Pinoy Sunday (Taiwan) After discovering a couch on the streets of Taipei, two Filipino migrant workers embark on a comic journey. AMC Pacific Place 11, Thursday, May 26, 4:30 p.m.

Red Eagle (Thailand) Two detectives work with a political activist to track down a violent masked vigilante known as the Red Eagle. Neptune Theatre, Friday, May 27, 10 p.m. Neptune Theatre, Sunday, May 29, 1 p.m.

Rosario (Philippines) Based on a true story, Rosario is a lush, tragic saga about the price a woman must pay to follow her passions. AMC Pacific Place 11, Saturday, May 28, 10 a.m. AMC Pacific Place 11, Monday, May 30, 6 p.m.

The Bengali Detective (India) A comedy documentary about Rajesh Ji, a man with a fierce purpose, whether it involves serious sleuthing or coaching a dance routine for a ragtag team. SIFF Cinema, Thursday, May 26, 7 p.m. Everett Performing Arts Center, Saturday, May 28, 6 p.m. Kirkland Performance Center, Friday, June 3, 7 p.m.

The Hunter (Iran) An explosive thriller set in 2009 in Iran, about a man whose family is killed in the crossfire between the police and protestors. Admiral Theatre, Wednesday, June 1, 6:30 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, Friday, June 3, 4 p.m.

The Majority (Turkey)A young man rebels against the brutish authority of his father after a girl he meets opens his eyes to a different way of life. AMC Pacific Place 11, Tuesday, May 31, 7 p.m. AMC Pacific Place 11, Wednesday, June 1, 4:30 p.m. Kirkland Performance Center, Saturday, June 11, 3:30 p.m.

The Stool Pigeon (Hong Kong) Desperately needing money to repay his debts, petty criminal Ghost agrees to become an undercover police informant. Neptune Theatre, Sunday, May 29, 10 p.m.

The White Meadows (Iran) A fast-paced horror movie about a quiet man travels to remote islands collecting the tears of the grief-stricken. Egyptian Theatre, Thursday, June 2, 7 p.m. Kirkland Performance Center, Saturday, June 4, 6 p.m. Neptune Theatre, Wednesday, June 8, 4:30 p.m.

Asian-themed films at SIFF this week:

Don't forget to check out ... "Late Autumn" South Korea (2010), directed by Kim Tae-Yong

After spending the past seven years in prison for killing her abusive husband in self-defense, Anna is granted furlough to attend her mother’s funeral in Seattle. On the bus, she meets Hoon, an escort escaping the wrath of a client’s jealous hus-band. Anna provides ticket money for this attractive and charming stranger, and the two sit near one another for the duration of the bus ride ...

Filmed in Seattle, you can catch glimpses of such neighborhoods and sites as Ballard, Fremont, and Ride the Ducks as backdrops for this intriguing tale of chance and human connection.


Date post:	21-Feb-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	han-bui
View:	224 times
Download:	0 times