3418 - The International Examiner

Transcription

PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SEATTLE, WA
Permit No. 2393
VOL. 34, NO. 18 SEPT. 19 - OCT. 2, 2007
GUIDE
-pages13-15
YourconnectiontoAsianAmerica
Yellow
Power
Goes
Green
AsianAmericansjoininoneffortstofight
climate change and to protect our world
—startingrightintheirownhomes.TheIE
presents a special issue focused on Asian
Americans and the environment. In additiontospecialarticles,wehaveasupplement from the WILD youth group, which
servesasaglimpseofhopeforthefuture.
Biodiesel is the way to go: Smells like frying pan oil
BY ANNE KIM
Examiner Contributor
-page15
-pages16-17
Dao Mai’s navy blue station wagon
would blend into any Seattle parking lot.
But a “Biodiesel” sticker on the rear window
marks a big difference inside.
Mai uses biodiesel, not petroleum gasoline, to fuel her car.
And she’s not alone. Biodiesel use
among individual consumers has increased
in the Seattle area during the past few years,
according to some users and biodiesel retailers here.
In 2005, an estimated 75 million gallons
of the alternative fuel were sold in the United
States, according to the National Biodiesel
Board. Made from renewable resources like
soybean oil, it’s biodegradable, produces
lower emissions than petroleum diesel and
is non-toxic, according to the board.
And it can be used to fuel any diesel car
with little or no changes made to the engine
or fuel system, according to the board.
But how does it drive? How difficult is
maintenance? And what’s the cost?
The International Examiner interviewed Mai and another Asian American
biodiesel user, Manual Cawaling, to hear
their experiences.
Dao Mai
-page18
Mai, a stay-at-home mom, has been
interested in biodiesel for years. She’d
attended local biodiesel conventions for two
years before she and her husband bought a
diesel car two years ago with the intent to
run it on biodiesel
“We were like gung ho about it,” said the
Seattle resident.
Her reason for switching from petroleum
fuel to biodiesel: she wanted to break her
dependence on oil and decrease damage to
the environment, she said.
“It’s something we could do ourselves to
fix,” she said.
Running the car on biodiesel is essentially
the same as fueling up on petroleum, she
said.
The only differences from her old car:
a puttering engine sound and exhaust that
smells like frying pan oil, she said.
There are also fewer options for fueling
stations, she said. She buys biodiesel from
one of the handful of Puget Sound biodiesel
retailers, Dr. Dan’s Fuelwerks in Ballard.
It’s less convenient than going to a corner
gas station, but it’s worth it, she said.
“We knew that we’re giving up that convenience for being more environmental,”
Mai said.
And fuel, which was more expensive than
regular gasoline when she first purchased the
car, is now about the same price, she said.
Mai pays about $3.15 per gallon of fuel.
She’s so happy with her decision to switch
to biodiesel that she heats her home with the
alternative fuel.
“Now we won’t change back,” she said.
Dao Mai fuels up her station wagon with
biodiesel at Dr. Dan’s Fuelwerks in Ballard.
The Vietnamese American activist switched to
a biodiesel car as part of her effort to become
less dependent on oil and to help the environment. Photo by Anne Kim.
She’s also become a member of the
Northwest Biodiesel Network, a biodiesel
networking, advocacy and educational
group.
Drivers interested in biodiesel should
take the plunge, Mai said. “It’s not that big
of a change in your life.”
-continued on page 6
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
2 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
FEATURE
NEWS
arts
senior services
Northwest Asian American Theatre
NIKKEI CONCERNS
409 Seventh Ave S. Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-340-1445 fx: 206-682-4348
Seattle’s premiere pan-Asian American performing arts center.
Manages Theatre Off Jackson.
Wing Luke Asian Museum
407 7th Ave. S Seattle, WA 98104
ph:206-623-5124 fx: 206-622-4559
[email protected]; www.wingluke.org
The only pan-Asian Pacific American museum in the country, the Wing
Luke Asian Museum is nationally recognized for its award-winning exhibitions and community-based model of exhibition and program development. WLAM an affiliate of the Smithsonian Instititue, is dedicated to
engaging the APA communities and the public in exploring issues related
to the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans. Offers guided
tours for schools and adult groups, and provides excellent programs for
families and all ages.
business
Chinatown/International District
Business Improvement Area
409 Maynard Ave. S., Suite P1 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-382-1197
www.cidbia.org
Merchants association enhancing business, parking and
public space in the International District. Sponsors Lunar New
Year and Summer Festival events.
Japanese American Chamber of Commerce
14116 S. Jackson Seattle, WA 98144
ph: 206-320-1010 www.jachamber.com
Encourages entrepreneurial & educational activity
among Japanese, Americans and Japanese Americans and promotes increased understanding of Japanese culture & heritage.
Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce
675 S. King St Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-332-1933 fx: 206-650-8337
[email protected]
Acts as an advocate for local Chinese businesses and in a public
relations role. Organizes the Seattle Miss Chinatown Pageant.
political & civil rights
Commission of Asian Pacific American Affairs
210 11th Ave. SWRM 301 Olympia, WA 98504
Olympia ph: 360-725-5667
[email protected] www.capaa.wa.gov
Statewide liason between governmnet and APA communities.
Monitors and informs public about legislative issues.
Japanese American Citizens League - Seattle Chapter
316 Maynard S. Seattle, WA 98104
www.jaclseattle.org
Dedicated to protecting the rights of Japanese Americans and
upholding the civil and human rights of all people.
Organization of Chinese Americans Seattle
Chapter
606 Maynard Ave S., Suite 104 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-682-0665 www.ocaseattle.org
Civil rights and Education, promotes the active participation of chinese
and Asian Americans in civic and community affairs.
schools
Asia Pacific Language School
14040 NE 8th, #302, Bellevue, WA 98007
ph: 425-785-8299 or 425-641-1703
www.apls.org
Multilingual preschool, language classes, adult ESL, “One World Learning School Program”Academic enrichment, prep for WASL and SAT’s.
Denise Louie Education Center
801 So. Lane St. Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-621-7880
[email protected] www.deniselouie.org
Half day and full day Head Start program located in the International District, Beacon Hill, Mt Baker, and Rainier Beach.
Comprehensive multi-cultural pre-school for children ages 3-5.
church
St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish
1610 S King St. Seattle, WA 98144
ph: 206-323-5250 email: [email protected]
website: www.stpeterseattle.org
St. Peter’s invite all people to a life of faith through worship education, service, and spiritual development.
Enriching the lives of our elders.
1601 E. Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122
Ph: 206-323-7100 www.nikkeiconcerns.org
Seattle Keiro, Skilled Nursing Facility
24-hour skilled nursing facility offering high quality medical
and rehabilitation programs, activities and social services.
1601 E. Yesler, Seattle, WA 98122
Ph: 206-323-7100
Nikkei Manor, Assisted Living Community
50 private apartments. Service plans tailored to individual
needs. Nurse on staff 8 hrs./day.
700 – 6th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104
Ph: 206-726-6460
Kokoro Kai, Adult Day Program
Provides social opportunities, light exercises, lunch and
activities 3 days a week.
700 – 6th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104
Ph: 206-726-6474
Nikkei Horizons, Continuing Education Program
Offers tours and excursions, courses in arts, computers,
language and more.
700 6th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104
Ph: 206-726-6469
Legacy House
803 South Lane, Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-292-5184 fx: 206-292-5271
[email protected]
Assisted living, Adult Day services, Independent Senior apartments, Ethnic-specific meal programs for low-income seniors.
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
(Senior Community Service Employment Program)
1025 S. King St. Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-322-5272 fx: 206-322-5387
www.napca.org
Part-time training program for low income
Asian Pacific Islander age 55+ in Seattle/King County.
professional
Asian American Journalists Association - Seattle Chapter
P.O. Box 9698 Seattle, WA 98109
www.aajaseattle.org
Professional deveopment for journalist, scholarships for
students and community service since 1985.
National Association of Asian American
Professionals - Seattle Chapter
PO Box 14344 Seattle, WA 98104
[email protected]; www.naaapseattle.org
Fostering future leaders through education, networking and community
services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs.
housing & neighborhood planning
HomeSight
5117 Rainier Ave S. Seattle, WA 98118
ph: 206-723-4355 fax: 206-760-4210
www.homesightwa.org
First-time home buyer purchase assistance services including low-interest
loans, deferred payment loans, financial coaching, for-sale homes and more!
Inter*Im Community Development Association
308 6th Ave So Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-624-1802 fx: 206-624-5859
[email protected]; www.interimicda.org
Low-income housing, economic development,
neighborhood planning and advocacy for the APA community.
International District Housing Alliance
606 Maynard Ave. S #104/105 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-623-5132 fx: 206-623-3479
Multi-lingual low-income housing outreach,
rental information, homeownership community education.
Low Income Housing Institute
2407 First Ave Suite #200 Seattle, WA 98121
ph: 206-443-9935 fx: 206-443-9851
[email protected]; www.lihi.org
Housing and services for families, individuals,
seniors and the disabled in Seattle and the Puget Sound Region.
Seattle Chinatown/International District
Preservation and Development Authority
ph: 206-624-8929 fax: 206-467-6376 [email protected]
Housing, property management, and community development.
social & health services
Asian Counseling & Referral Service
720 8th Ave S Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-695-7600 fx: 206-695-7606
www.acrs.org
ACRS offers nationally recognized, culturally competent health and
social services.
Food for survival and culture: food bank, specializing in Asian/Pacific
staples; emergency feeding; senior ethnic lunch programs
Healthy mind and body: assistance for elders and adults with disabilities; bilingual, bicultural counseling for children and adults; problem
gambling treatment; substance abuse treatment and recovery services;
domestic violence batterers’ treatment and community education
Building blocks for success: youth leadership development and academic support; vocational and employment services
Stronger communities through civic engagement: naturalization and
immigration assistance; community education, mobilization and advocacy Information for taking action: legal clinic; information and referral;
consultation and education
Asian & Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety Center
P.O. Box 14047, Seattle, WA 98114
ph: 206-467-9976 email: [email protected]
website: www.apiwfsc.org
Provides community organizing, education, outreach, training, technical assistance & comprehensive culturally relevant service on domestic
violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking to API community members, services providers, survivors & thier families.
Center For Career Alternatives
901 Rainier Ave So. Seattle, WA 98144
ph: 206-322-9080 fx: 206-322-9084
www.ccawa.org
Need a Job! Free Training, GED, and job placement service.
Chinese Information and Service Cener
611 S. Lane St. Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-624-5633 fax: 206-624-5634 www.cisc-seattle.org
Helps Asian immigrants achieve success in their new community by
providing information, referral, advocacy, social, and support services. Our bilingual & bicultural staff offer after school programs,
English as a Second Language, citizenship classes, employment
training, computer classes, elderly care services and additional family support services. Please contact us.
International Drop-In Center
7301 Beacon Ave S. Seattle, WA 98108
ph: 206-587-3735 fx: 206-742-0282 email: [email protected]
We are open form 9 till 5 Mon-Fri and do referrals, counseling,
fitness and recreation, social, arts & cultural activities for elderly
member and walk-ins.
Helping Link
ph: 206-781-4246 fx:206-568-5160
www.cityofseattle.net/helpinglink
Vietnamese community-based organization providing social service,
education, social activities and more for the greater Seattle area.
International Community Health Services
International District Medical & Dental Clinic
720 8th Ave. S. Suite 100 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-788-3700
Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic
3815 S. Othello St. 2nd Floor, Seattle WA 98118
ph: 206-788-3500
www.ichs.com
We are a nonprofit health care center offering affordable medical,
dental, pharmacy, acupuncture and health education services primarily
to Seattle and King County’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
Kin On Community Health Care
815 S. Weller St. Suite 212 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-652-2330 fx:206-652-2344
[email protected]; www.kinon.org
Provides home care, home health, Alzheimer’s and
caregiver support, community education and chronic care
management. Coordinate medical supply delivery. Install
Personal Emergency Response system. Serves the Chinese/Asian
community in King County.
Refugee Women’s Alliance
4008 Martin Luther King Jr. Seattle, WA 98108
ph: 206-721-0243 • fax: 206-721-0282 www.rewa.org
A multi-ethnic, multilingual, community-based organization
that provides the following programs to refugee and immigrant women and families in the Puget Sound area: Development Disabilities, Domesitc Violence, Early Childhood
Education, Youth Family Support, Mentel Health, Parent
Education and Education and Vocational Training.
Washington Asian Pacific Islander Families Against Substance Abuse
606 Maynard Ave. S, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98104
ph: 206-223-9578
Alcohol, tobacco & drug prevention; early intervention &
outpatient treatment for APIA youth and their families.
Join our Community Resource Directory. Email: [email protected]
NEWS
Maneki and PRR recognized as Mayor’s 2007 Small Business Award Winners
Mayor
Greg
Nickels
announced this year’s 10
Mayor’s Small Business Awards
around the block and
request items that are
no longer on the menu.
winners at a celebration
Onwer Jean Nakayama
at Town Hall. Two Asian
says she is most proud
American business winners
when she serves four
are Maneki Restaurant and
generations of family
PRR. Inc.
together in the tatami
The oldest Japanese resroom, or customers
taurant in the region, Maneki
who came as small
was established in 1904 in the
children come back as
Nihonmachi section of the
teenagers with their
International District, and has
boyfriends.
Maneki
been at its current location
strives to be a place
since 1946. This neighborhood
where families take time
icon of the “lucky cat” has beck- Jean Nakayama of Maneki to sit together at dinner,
oned customers to eat Japanese Restaurant with Mayor Nickels. something important in
“comfort food like Grandma Photo by Elaine Ko.
all cultures.
made at home” for generations. This is a place
PRR, owned by Rita Brogan, is a public
where “Mom” still serves as hostess as she has relations / public affairs firm that is a true
since the 1960s, and loyal customers line up Seattle business – driven by a mission to
622S.WashingtonSt.
Seattle,WA98104
www.iexaminer.org
Establishedin1974,theInternationalExamineris
theoldestandlargestnonprofit,pan-AsianAmerican publication in the Pacific Northwest. Named
after the historic and thriving multi-ethnic International District (ID) of Seattle, the International
Examineraspirestobeacrediblecatalystforbuilding an inspiring, connected, well-respected, and
socially conscious Asian Pacific American (APA)
community. Our mission is to promote critical
thinking,dialogueandactionbyprovidingtimely,
accurate and culturally sensitive coverage of relevantAPAmatters.Inadditiontoproducingafree
semi-monthly newspaper, we also publish a literary supplement, “Pacific Reader” devoted to the
criticalreviewsofAPAbooks.Wehavepublished
two books, “The History of the International District”byDougChinand“HumBowsNotHotDogs
–MemoirsofanActivist”byBobSantos.
EDITOR
NhienNguyen
ADVERTISINGMANAGER
LilyHo
ASSISTANTEDITOR
KenMochizuki
ARTSEDITOR
AlanChongLau
BUSINESSMANAGER
EllenSuzuki
CREATIVEDIRECTOR
KenHiraiwa
INFO.SYSTEMS
CanhTieu
VIDEOBLOGREPORTER
JackOlmsted
INTERNS
NicholasChung
StephenUy
CONTRIBUTORS
The International Examiner is published on
the first and third Wednesdays of every month.
Subscription rates for one-year home delivery is $25 for individuals and $45 first class/
overseas. The International Examiner is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit; subscriptions are
tax-deductible.
ClaireEmikoFant
AnneKim
DeniLuna
ChizuOmori
RoxanneRay
Tel:(206)624-3925
Fax:(206)624-3046
[email protected]
[email protected]
promote the environment, community, and
human health. As it has grown since 1981 to
a firm with 46 people, PRR has preserved the
ethic of customer service and one-on-one
attention that comes with a smaller firm.
PRR harnesses all the tools of public policy
and community relations, of advertising and
media relations, and of research and social
science into an integrated machine that serves
the Seattle community. They are a pioneer in
implementing environmentally and sociallyconscious business strategies. To serve their
clients well, PRR maintains that “quality is not
just a series of steps or a written procedure, but
a way of doing business every day.”
“Local businesses provide the unique
character that makes Seattle such a great place
to live,” said Mayor Greg Nickels in a press
release. “They’re the economic engines that
employ local people and provide services
throughout our city – small business owners
are my heros.”
Every year, 10 small businesses in Seattle
receive special recognition for their accomplishments through the Mayor’s Small Business
Awards presented by Wells Fargo. The winners
are selected on the basis of excellence in management, entrepreneurial spirit, customer service, and community involvement.
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 3
Donnie Chin receives
Lifesaver Award
The Medic One Foundation recognized Donnie Chin, executive director of
the International District Emergency Center
(IDEC), with the 2007 Lifesaver Award at the
Foundation’s benefit dinner auction on Sept. 14
at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.
Each year, the Foundation honors an individual, business or organization that makes a
significant contribution to emergency medical
services in our region. For more than three
decades, Chin has been a citizen watchdog
providing emergency medical services to residents in the International District. Well-trained
in such services, he has won the respect of the
fire department and Medic One, ambulance
services, health centers and the police.
The Medic One Foundation is proud to recognize Donnie Chin’s significant contribution
to emergency care in his community, according
to a press release. The Medic One Foundation
raises money to support excellent pre-hospital
emergency care. Supported entirely by charitable contributions, the Foundation funds worldclass paramedic training, scientific research to
develop new methods of emergency care, and
independent medical review of Medic One’s
performance to improve survival rates and
patient outcomes.
4 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
Health Fair: Taking time now can help save your health later
open to the public. Come
get free health screenings
and answers to your mediMany health problems and diseases leadcal questions from a variety
ing to premature death or disability are easof health professionals!
ily preventable. Unfortunately, many Asian
We will offer hepatitis
Pacific Islanders (APIs) do not take part in
B
and C workshops and
regular check-ups and health screenings
screenings,
breast health
that can help them live longer and healthier
workshops
and
mammolives. Some of the reasons why preventive
grams,
children’s
dental
care is so underutilized in this community
screenings,
blood
pressure
may be due to the lack of translated health
screenings, and much more!
information, culturally-appropriate serBeing healthy can also be
vices, or knowledge about why preventative
fun! Complimentary seatedcare is so important.
chair massages and tai chi
Sending the message about early prevendemonstrations will show
tion is key for the API community. We need First Annual Community API Health Fair. Photos from CISC.
participants alternative ways
to educate all communities about the top
to
maintain
healthy
lifestyles. Taking time
health problems affecting them and make cancer increases up to six times. Asian
now
can
help
save
your
health later!
sure to spread the word to all family and immigrant women living in the United
household members and loved ones.
States for as little as a decade have an 80 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer
Get Informed!
than new immigrants. (Source: Journal of
• Right now, one out of 10 APIs living in National Cancer Institute)
Seattle-King County may have hepatitis B • Cervical cancer rates are five times highwithout even knowing it. Nationally, an esti- er for Vietnamese women than Caucasian
mated 1.4 million Americans are chronically women. (Source: National Cancer
infected with hepatitis B; more than half are Institute). Only 37 percent of Chinese
APIs. (Source: Asian Liver Center)
American women routinely get an easy test
• Lung cancer is the predominant cancer to detect cervical cancer. (Source: National
Community API Health Fair
affecting APIs nationwide, and is the num- Institutes of Health Public Access Author
ber one cause of cancer death for almost all Manuscript)
Chinese Information and Service
groups. (Source: Asian & Pacific Islander
Center’s International Family Center
American Health Forum)
Get Tested!
611 S Lane St,
• Since 1980, cancer has been the numCISC’s International Family Center,
in Seattle’s International District
ber one killer of Asian-American women. along with ICHS and the Washington State
Saturday, Sept. 22 —10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
(Source: Asian American Network for API Hepatitis B Task Force, will be hosting
For more information, please contact
Cancer Awareness, Research and Training)
the Second Annual Community API Health
Theresa Lam at (206) 624.5633, x4150,
• When Asian women migrate to the Fair on Saturday, Sept. 22 at CISC. The health
or e-mail: [email protected]
United States, their risk of developing breast fair will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and is
BY DR. COURTNEY JOHNSON
Special to the Examiner
Dr. Courtney Johnson is medical director at International Community Health
Services (ICHS). Contributors to this article
include the Chinese Information and Service
Center (CISC) and the Washington State API
Hepatitis B Task Force.
6 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
F E AT U R E
Focus on environment: Seattle fights global warming
Examiner News
Seattle kicks off a year-long environmental campaign, including a fair in the
International District later this month, and
a national summit involving President Bill
Clinton on Nov. 1-2.
On Saturday, Sept. 22, 11 a.m. - 1:30
p.m. at Hing Hay Park in the International
District, local organizers will host the SAVE
Fair, sponsored by the City of Seattle and
grassroots partners. “The SAVE Fair is about
saving our children, saving resources and saving the world,” said Kip Tokuda, a former state
representative, now a City of Seattle official.
Mayor Greg Nickels will speak at the
International District SAVE Fair, which will
feature booths, environmental demonstrations and lectures with a broad environmen-
tal theme. There will be a lion dance, games,
local celebrities, prizes and giveaways.
The International District SAVE Fair
is part of Climate Action Now (CAN), a
partnership of grassroots groups and the
City of Seattle. CAN plans a media launch at
the Seattle Aquarium on Sept. 21, followed
by fairs the following day in four neighborhoods: Phinney Ridge, Columbia City, West
Seattle and the International District.
“We have a viable community in the
International District that is a model for
local sustainability and good environmental
practices,” said Tokuda. About 40 I.D. restaurants now recycle their cooking oil through
an innovative bio-diesel project. Meanwhile,
the I.D. community is cited as a national
model for its mixed-use housing, together
with social services and retail shops.
“If we are to reduce global warming,
America needs to develop housing models
like the International District,” said Velma
Veloria, a former state legislator, now with
Homesight. Homesight will have a presence
at the SAVE Fair. “We need to keep housing
affordable and we need to build up. Land
is scarce,” she said, adding that American
households now spend 19 percent of their
income on transportation.
“Communities of color are most impacted by global warming,” said Veloria. She has
long worked to reduce the disproportionate
impact of environmental concerns on communities of color.
“Whether we are conscious of it or not,
our communities and our countries are
affected by global warming.”
Fighting global warming involves collective
action, many people taking small steps. Start
with living more simply, cutting unnecessary
trips, buying locally in your neighborhood.
Even doing more as a family and teaching
environmental values helps. “A sustainable
future requires healthy, competent, and
informed kids,” said Tokuda. “Healthy families
require responsible stewardship of our communities, our resources, our environment.”
Locally, Seattle boasts of several innovative
initiatives from its comprehensive recycling
program to streamlining food delivery systems, said Fe Arreola, a Filipina with the City’s
Human Services Department. “Seattle has
been working with local restaurants to give
excess food to feed the hungry. About half of
all food in America is wasted. That’s an enormous drain on land and resources, plus wasted
fuel costs. If we are to reduce global warming,
we must pull together as a community.”
Seattle’s efforts will be highlighted at
a national summit, as mayors and former
President Bill Clinton gather here to discuss
the environment. More than 100 mayors plan
to attend the November event. Since 2005,
Mayor Nickels has spearheaded a groundswell initiative among mayors to cut pollution
by signing on to the U.S. Mayors’ Climate
Protection Agreement. President Clinton has
launched his Clinton Climate Initiative, working with 40 of the largest cities internationally.
Opportunities to volunteer in the year-long
CAN campaign are plentiful, as participants
attempt to meet ambitious goals. More information is available by contacting Sara Wysocki at
the City of Seattle’s Neighborhood Service Center
in the Chinatown/lD at (206) 233-8560.
- continued from front page
Biodiesel and APIs
Manuel Cawaling
“I like to say that
my car is a vegetarian,” said Cawaling,
who started using
biodiesel earlier this
year.
At the beginning of the year, it
was time for him
to retire his old car
for a new one. He
thought about the Manuel Cawaling
environment and
looked into buying
a diesel car in order to fuel it with biodiesel,
but had some concerns, he said.
Buying a diesel car would add $6,000
to his price tag and he wasn’t sure whether
pumping biodiesel into his car would void
his car’s warranty.
He did his research, read some biodiesel
blogs, and in the end, couldn’t find a reason
not to make the switch.
About six months later, he finds that his
car runs better on biodiesel, he said. His
mileage is better, getting about 32 miles per
gallon from local roads and 45 miles per gallon on the highway. On his old car, he said
he used to get 22 miles per gallon on local
roads and 32 on the highway.
Like Mai, environmental and political
concerns drove Cawaling to biodiesel.
“I’m supporting American farmers. I’m
supporting alternative fuel sources,” he
said.
And since he lives about a mile and a
half from a station, finding biodiesel is easy
in Seattle, he said. He, too, pumps biodiesel
at Dr. Dan’s Fuelwerks where he’s set up an
account. Each time he pumps, he records
the amount he uses on a clipboard and pays
every 40 gallons.
“They make it really, really easy,” he
said.
But there are sacrifices – other than the
initial $6,000 bump in sticker price – with
running his car on biodiesel, he said. With
fewer options on where to fill up on fuel, he
has to be more conscious about the level of
fuel in his gas tank.
And he admits that sometimes when
he’s far from a biodiesel station and finds
himself needing to fill up, he’ll pump regular diesel gas into his car. He can mix both
without problems, he said.
But for Cawaling, it’s worth it. “It makes
me feel more responsible,” he said.
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 7
Ticiang Diangson: A passion for environmental justice
BY ANNE KIM
Ticiang Diangson remembers being
repeatedly discriminated against while
she was growing up in Chicago. So, when
she moved to Seattle as an adult, she was
happy to find a larger Asian American
community.
But Diangson, a social worker at the
time, also found something she didn’t
expect – a new calling in environmental
justice.
What started as a job in the early 1980s
signing people up for home insulation
loans for Seattle City Light has developed
into a career in environmental justice and
utilities issues.
Most recently, Diangson was appointed
director of the Seattle Public Utilities’
Environmental Justice & Service Equity
Division. The appointment earlier this
summer followed an approximately yearlong tenure as interim director of the
division.
“Environmental justice means that all
communities of all races and all income
levels get equitable environmental benefits and the same environmental risks,”
said Diangson from her Seattle office
where boxes still scatter the floor. “And
that the communities that are affected get
to participate in the decision making.”
The purpose of the division: try to
ensure that city residents receive equitable services and access to the decisions
made by Seattle Public Utilities.
“It’s finding out why people aren’t
accessing us and changing that,” she said
about one of the goals of the utilities
division.
One of the biggest problems facing
Asian and Pacific Islanders – simply not
knowing about the services available, she
said.
“I think we haven’t let folks know what
air quality impacts are, how they can get
help with the flooding issue,” she said,
referring to last fall’s flood.
And with many Asian Americans fishing in Seattle’s waters, water quality issues
are also important for the API community,
she said. Water conservation and recycling
issues are also important since being
informed will help people better manage
their utility bills.
One of the projects that her division
has on the table: the social equity/social
impact team. The goal: develop a checklist
of social guidelines that the utilities will
follow for all of its projects, she said.
“We’d like to ask questions like what’s
the impact on community,” she said.
“What’s a culturally appropriate way of
involving the community in this project?”
Ticiang Diangson is the newly appointed director of Seattle
Public Utilites Environmental Justice & Service Equity Division.
Photo by Anne Kim.
It’s important for people affected by
utilities projects to have a voice, she said.
Keeping the community involved has
been a focus throughout her career and
a philosophy that’s carried over from
her previous career as a social worker.
“I’ve always been involved in civil rights
stuff,” she said.
A
self-described
“Polapina,”
Diangson is Filipino and Polish and
grew up in Chicago. After obtaining a
bachelor’s degree in social science from
the University of Chicago and a master’s
degree in social work from the University
of Wisconsin, Diangson moved to Seattle
where she worked as a social worker. She
was laid off in 1981 and later found a job
at Seattle City Light doing home energy
checks, which involved checking to see if
people needed insulation in their homes
and signing them up for no-interest insulation loans.
She noticed during her work that she
was being called out to mostly white
homes, she said.
A study she conducted to figure out
how to better communicate with some
Asian and Hispanic families found that
many Chinese Americans were skeptical
about receiving what they perceived as
something free from the government.
So, she opted for a more culturally
appropriate approach.
“We changed our message – in return
for giving us the kilowatt savings from
electricity, we’ll give you an interest free
loan,” she said. “So that it was a quid pro
quo instead of the government doing
something.”
She’s continued to try to reach out to
different communities since then.
“I just kept on being sort of an irritant,” she said.
In 1992, she helped start
the Community Coalition
for Environmental Justice
in Seattle which operates in South Seattle. And
she’s been working in the
Environmental Justice &
Service Equity Division of
Seattle Public Utilities since
it was created in 2005.
Environmental justice
issues should be important for Asian and Pacific
Islanders because equity
issues are everywhere, she
said. For example, with
climate change, different
countries get treated differ-
ently in terms of involvement, decisionmaking and funding.
“Environmental justice goes on in
every level of the world,” she said. “I just
think it’s very important for us to be
an active part of that.”
People interested in getting involved
in environmental justice should contact
the International District Housing
Alliance or the Community Coalition
for Environmental Justice, Diangson
said.
“I think that bringing a whole
bunch of perspectives to environmental and environmental justice work
makes it way more effective,” she said. “
I truly believe that everybody’s entitled
to be involved in environmental issues.”
8 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
Araya’s Restaurant draws environmental activists
BY DENI LUNA
A cornerstone of activism, Araya’s Thai
vegetarian eatery feels like home. Home, that
is, if you happen to live in a palace. By tradition, Araya’s has become a palatial bunker for
environmental activists and the down-andout. Presided over by an enormous statue of
Kwan Yin, the Buddhist deity of compassion,
they gather. Drawn together, they plan political actions, eat sumptuous food, and even
sleep overnight — on silk pillows.
To Araya Pudpard, who opened Araya’s
20 years ago, giving is natural: “In Thailand,
we greet each other with ‘Have you eaten?
Would you like to eat?’ while Americans say
‘How are you?’”
Her remarks draw nods around the
table, for on the evening of my interview,
she’s feeding a sizable crowd, according to
her custom. The restaurant is packed with
vegans, birthday party celebrants, and those
who have come to enjoy a quiet meal in
the elegant surroundings. Jessica Wang, a
Chinese-born entrepreneur says, “In China,
our greetings imply the same thing — ‘Have
you eaten?’ ‘Are you comfortable?’”
Araya’s generosity was inculcated at
an early age. Trained at the prestigious
Demonstration School in Bangkok, she
bested 5,000 competitors to enter a grade
school of 200 classmates to learn academics through civic participation. “The
Demonstration School is an Americanstyle school that taught us to think and do.
We learned practical skills away from the
classroom, and we learned to improve our
world. Nearly half a century ago, they were
teaching us to clean up the environment,”
says Suwat Charnond, a former classmate of
Araya’s, now a New York-based restaurant
consultant. “We formed lifelong friendships
from that school,” he tells those gathered at
the table. Both Suwat and Araya were among
a few Thai classmates who eventually emigrated to America, drawn by its values of
independence and entrepreneurship.
“America gives people chances,” says
Araya Pudpard of Araya’s Restaurant.
Photo by Deni Luna.
Araya. Her first attempt at American
entrepreneurship was feeding Thai food to
Grateful Dead fans. She followed the band
around the country in a motor home, traversing from San Francisco to Boston to
Miami and dozens of other cities. She got
to know America, but had no reservations
about where she finally settled — Seattle.
“Seattle people are open-minded,” said
Araya. “They like Thai food. There are
350 Thai restaurants in Washington state.
Everyone goes to them. If you go to a place
like Los Angeles, there are fewer Thai restaurants and they cater mainly to Thai people. I
can also find fresher ingredients here. And I
love how green everything is from the rain.
People complain about the rain, but to me,
it means abundance.”
Spreading that feeling of freshness, of
abundance, matters to her. Araya is a stickler
for fresh ingredients. “I’ve heard her on the
phone complaining to vendors if the quality
has fallen off. Believe me, I’ve heard her,”
says Suwat with a big smile.
Araya remembers shopping as a child
at Thai farmers markets. She still supports
small businesses and just finished a buying
trip for spices from Southern California.
“I’m helping grandmothers earn a living by
growing spices from their native country in
their backyards here in America,” she says.
Based on her impressive list of ingredients alone, Araya’s is not a typical restaurant. It’s Seattle’s premier Thai restaurant
for vegans, and no animal-based products
are used. However, the appeal of the spicy,
aromatic foods draws most everyone. “Most
of my customers are not vegan,” Araya says.
They come to enjoy food that is healthy and
delicious. Many people think vegetarian
food is bland, tasteless. But when they come
here, the food heightens their senses.”
Araya believes Thai food is uniquely
suited to enliven vegetarian fare. “Thai food
[is a] combination of Vietnamese, Indian
and Chinese cuisine. In Thailand, we are
poor and can’t eat a lot of meat. The food is
mostly vegetarian.”
Araya’s commitment to vegetarianism
is solidified by her love for animals. Her
patrons know her dogs well, through the
decades. One of her dogs was famous as a
Singing Dog. The Thai breed was frequently
requested to sing “Happy Birthday” at parties for customers.
Araya closely follows the animal-friendly
diet principles of EarthSave, an environmental organization that she supports through
charitable benefits. EarthSave was started by
John Robbins, one-time heir to the BaskinRobbins fortune. Instead of claiming his
inheritance, Robbins walked away from his
money and publicly attacked the source of
his family’s wealth. Robbins’ independence
and high sense of ethics appeal to Araya.
She herself follows the main precepts of
Buddhism. “It is important to follow principles, even with small acts, even if no one
is watching,” she says, adding that Buddhism
teaches about compassion, giving.
“In Thailand, we don’t have as many
homeless beggars,” Araya says. “Most people
are Buddhists and the Buddhist temples
always have food. People give to the temples.”
She envisions promoting a similar sense of
community here.
“Araya gives to the community,” says
longtime friend Peter Roth. “She supports
several causes. She herself started a Sweep for
Food program which allows people to earn
food through small acts. Asking for food in
exchange for work gives people a hand up,
not a handout. It’s psychologically better,”
says Roth, a counselor.
Araya has found the secret to enjoying
her life. “Giving brings happiness,” she says.
Araya Restaurant is at 1121 NE 45th St.
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 9
Asian and Pacific Islanders and the Environment
The following articles are an examination of how Asians and
Pacific Islanders are working to preserve and better our natural
and built environments. Read the next few pages to find out
about our community’s efforts to save our natural resources for
generations to come, and what you can do to help...
These articles have been written by youth of the Wilderness
Inner-city Leadership Development (WILD) program, an intergenerational leadership program for API youth and elders that
focuses on environmental justice issues within the International
District. We write these articles to help us all understand how to
create a healthier, safer and more beautiful community for all to
enjoy. For more information about the WILD program, go to
www.idhousingalliance.org or call (206) 623-5132.
Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Environment
Story by: ShuMin Lin, Lili Huang, JiaHao Qiu
Humans are in danger of making the environment worse, and if we are
not careful, the earth may not be able to continue to sustain us. There are
many groups of environmentalists in Seattle that work together to make the
environment better. But how are Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) involved
in this environmental movement? We recently interviewed API leaders within Seattle’s environmental movement, and asked them their opinions about
the level of involvement of our Asian and Pacific Islander communities in
this work.
Ticiang Diangson is the director of the Environmental Justice and Service
Equity Division of Seattle Public Utilities. The Environmental Justice and
Service Equity Division’s goal is to “eliminate barriers to ensure all people
of the City of Seattle receive equitable service and access to Seattle Public
Utilities’ decision making processes.” Through partnerships with many community groups, the department works to make sure that important information reaches immigrant and refugee populations, helping them to stay
safe and to learn about their responsibilities for keeping our environment
healthy.
According to Diangson, APIs are involved in the environmental movement, many working on environmental justice issues, but some of them may
not be so visible. “In the Filipino community, we sort of have this thing that
if we work really hard, we don’t have to brag or show off or let everyone know
what wonderful things we’ve done. We’ve got people doing it [environmental
work], it’s just that I don’t think we always make it obvious that we’re doing
this stuff,” says Diangson. Ticiang Diangson and her Environmental Justice
Network in Action team at SPU are examples of Asians making a difference.
Also, many API youth and elders work to address environmental injustices in
the International District through the Wilderness Inner-city Leadership (WILD)
program at the International District Housing Alliance. They are working to
make a safe and healthy place for everyone to live. The WILD youth and elders
teach others about the environment, focusing on issues like recycling, water
quality and household hazardous waste.
Many involved in the environmental movement agree that education is the
first step to making change. Duy Tran, outreach administrator at Recreational
Equipment Inc. (REI), says “You can first learn yourself how to care for the environment, and then you can teach other people how to care.” Tran’s role at REI is
to support groups such as WILD in their efforts to learn and playing outdoors,
and to participate in stewardship activities. These education efforts are making
a big difference. Jin Wei Li, one of the residents of the International District, said
“If I have time, I will join the environmentalists. I care about the environment
very much, which is why I participate in the activities of this program [WILD].
Everyone should take care of the environment.”
This just goes to show that people will see what other people are doing to
make things better. They will learn from other peoples’ actions. If they see people
are caring for the environment, they will follow. How do you care about the
environment?
www.idhousingalliance.org or call (206) 623-5132
10 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
Issues in our International District Community
Story by: Angela Apayavanh and Irene Situ
Is it just us, or is it in the air?
What is environmental justice? Environmental justice is achieved when
everyone lives in a safe and healthy environment regardless of who they are
(based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, income, etc.).
Joyce Tseng, who is the Board of Directors co-chair of the Community
Coalition for Environmental Justice, spoke with WILD about Environmental
Justice in the International District. “I think that people feel very strongly that
environmental justice issues are important. Environmental justice means that
people have a place to live that is safe ... People should not have to worry about
finding an affordable place to live, about being able to afford healthy foods, or
about accessing clean water.”
Air quality as an environmental justice issue
One major environmental justice issue in the International District is air
quality. It is an issue that few of us know about, or talk about.
There is no published data about air quality in the International District. In
2006, Alan Lee, former youth program manager at the International District
Housing Alliance, worked on an outdoor air quality project that involved youth of
the WILD program, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, University of Washington’s
School of Architecture and Urban Planning and the Environmental Protection
Agency. According to Lee, the air quality monitors that exist are stationed in
Georgetown, Beacon Hill and on Olive Way, which means that the air quality
in the International District is not monitored as its own airshed. In response
to this, the collaboration of agencies worked together to collect data about air
quality specific to our neighborhood. A report, “Breathing Room,” is available
upon requests made to the International District Housing Alliance.
The data from this report showed high levels of black carbon (a known carcinogen), but provided little other data about other air toxics. What our community does know is that Interstate 5 goes directly through the International
District. Also, Interstate 99 and Interstate 90 border the International District
During the Summer Festival, residents come to the Eco-Village (sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities)
on Maynard Avenue to play games and learn about the environment.
neighborhood to the south and the west. Stadiums, such as Safeco Field and Qwest
Field are the source of a lot of traffic in the neighborhood before and after sports
games. All of the traffic that goes through and around the ID may make the ID a
less healthy place to live than other neighborhoods with less traffic. While we do
not have any published evidence that the ID has amongst the worst air quality in
Seattle, we do know that it affects how we live. Do we need to have hard data to
know how we feel or how things like traffic and air quality affect our everyday lives?
This in itself is an important environmental justice issue.
Impacting our health
According to Paul Carr, Air Resources Specialist at the Puget Sound Clean
Air Agency, approximately 50 percent of all air pollution comes from vehicles.
This would mean that all of the vehicles going through the ID cause air pollution that can lead to health problems such as lung disease, asthma and allergies.
(The Breathing Room study estimated that on an average weekday, approximately
10,000 vehicles passed daily through the neighborhood on surface streets.)
Outdoor air quality may also affect the indoor air quality of the residents. Many
people have to open their windows in order to get some ventilation into their
homes. Due to the trains, cars, buses, trucks, etc., they cause traffic, which leads to
bad outdoor air, and that outdoor air can get into the residents’ homes. That is the
air that the residents will breathe – whether inside or out.
What we can do
What can people do to help reduce outdoor air pollution? There are a lot of
ways to help, such as using fuel efficient cars, carpooling, using the bus or public
transportation more, walking, biking, trip chaining, etc. (Trip chaining is planning
to go to more than one destination - such as the supermarket and the department
store - in one trip rather than making separate trips from home to each place.)
Youth from the WILD program - L to R: (top) Phung Vuong, JiaHao Qiu, Toan Nguyen, Carmen
Cruz, Kieu Chinh Nguyen, Paul Chang, Chan Voong, Angela Apayvanh, ShuMin Lin, Irene Situ;
L to R (bottom) Lili Huang, PhiHoa Nguyen, Misako Adachi, Kevin Tain, Phuong Dang
Governments can help by implementing smarter zoning practices, paying
greater attention to where they place buildings and houses and transportation
routes. Our government, private businesses and employers can also think of other
ways to encourage people to walk or use public transportation more or create
more green spaces and planting more trees.
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 11
Public Safety as an
Environmental Justice Issue
Story by: Paul Po-Lin Chang
Walking down the Street in the ID, you’ll see restaurants,
medicine stores, shops, visitors and community members. Our
neighborhood has a thriving business district and people who
really care about one another. But like many other communities,
we struggle with the issue of public safety.
Public safety is a major concern in the ID because it’s something that affects the health of the environment that our residents
live in and what other people think about this community. When
you think of public safety, you probably think of crime and gangs.
But public safety also includes how a neighborhood looks and
feels.
One of our major public safety issues is the amount of litter
and illegal dumping that occurs. Illegal dumping is when the businesses, residents or visitors come to the ID and dump their trash
inappropriately, making dumpsters and garbage cans overflow.
Sometimes people even set the trash right next to the dumpster
or leave it on the sidewalk! Why is illegal dumping so bad? It can
attract rats and birds and it also makes the community look bad.
When the community looks bad, fewer people will come to visit,
meaning that there are fewer eyes on the street. Keeping more eyes
on the street is one of the basic principles of safety. Illegal activities will happen if nobody is paying attention or watching.
So how can we change the problem? We can conduct more
clean ups, talk to our visitors and residents and businesses about
properly disposing of waste, and working with city agencies to
conduct more regular pick-ups. The City and our local Business
Improvement Area have already worked on consolidating the
dumpsters in alleyways to discourage dumping and to reduce the
public safety problems associated with them. If there is less litter,
than more people may come to the ID, and the public safety issue
will hopefully change.
The International District community has already been
working on the public safety issue with events like the Night
Market, Crime Night Out, the Paint Out and community clean
ups. Community groups like the Chinatown International
District Business Improvement Area and the Seattle Chinatown
International District Preservation and Development Authority
have also been working to clean up the streets and improve public
safety. The International District may have a public safety issue,
but if we continue to work on it, we can make a difference.
Take a Hike through the ID
By Mr. You Han (an elder participant of the Walking Group)
This article was translated from Chinese by GuoZhi Liu and GuiHui Yuan
Recently,
the
youth
program of International
District Housing Alliance
organized a walking group
for the elders. The walking
group is a healthy and safe
activity for the elders and
the walking route is centered
around the International
District-Chinatown.
“Walking” is the safest
oxygen-enriching exercise; it
is an effective exercise that
can improve the health of
the middle-aged and older Hoa Tang, Intergenerational Program Coordinator at IDHA, with Tang
person and helps to prevent ShunKuan during the walking group activities.
disease from occurring. With
the full research of the World Health Organization, walking is being listed as the most
beneficial health exercise in the world since 1992. People, who engage in walking exercise
frequently, generally feel good and pleasant and can maintain a vigorous body. Moreover,
walking is not limited by location, nor requires using any instruments. As a result, walking is the best exercise for middle-aged and older people to stay in shape. As walking in a
small group, it provides an opportunity for the elders to socialize, to build a relationship
that encourages the formation of their mutual understanding and to live in harmony. This
is beneficial for the mental health of the elders. Participating in this kind of activity more
frequently will help the elders to maintain a peace of mind and can mitigate their feeling of
loneliness.
The purpose of “Walking Group” is to enrich the lives of seniors, strengthen their physique and to improve their overall quality. At the same time, it encourages the development
of an intergenerational relationship between the participants since all walking activities are
organized and led by the youth. During the walking group, the youth explain the importance of pedestrian safety: When crossing a street, one must follow the signal of the pedestrian light; one must look to his/her left and right, making sure it is safe before he/she starts
crossing. The youth also talks about the norms or the behavioral habits of people when
walking on the street. On the way, the youth also introduces the elders to Chinatown’s past
history and the present development trend, as well as provide education on environment.
This helps them to understand more about the place they live in, as well as answering some
of questions the elders have raised.
Green Streets: Cleaning up Our Air and Beautifying Our Neighborhood
Story by: Kevin Tain and Phung Vuong
The people in and around the ID neighborhood will soon have better and cleaner lives
thanks to Inter*Im Community Development Association’s Green Street project.
Inter*Im is a non-profit and a lead neighborhood planning organization for the ID
neighborhood. Over the years, their projects have included renovations of affordable housing units such as the Eastern and NP Hotels, as well as development of the newly built
Nihonmachi Terrace family apartments. In 2004, they began their Green Street project,
under the leadership of urban planner Tom Im.
The Green Street is planned to be built on Maynard between Main and Jackson streets.
According to Im, the Green Street project will incorporate natural features like plants and
trees into an urban street where there are currently a lot of cars. Beautification is also a
primary influence, and thus Inter*Im will create new clean sidewalks and construct urban
art throughout the design. Inter*Im also made sure that the design addressed issues of
community safety, and built elements like benches and small parks to encourage gathering of community members. The Green Street project also helps to preserve different
cultures of our neighborhood by including more elements (such as art) that reflect the
Japanese American community.
The challenge the project currently faces is the cost of keeping it going. The project
will take $400,000-$500,000 to implement. The Green Street project is expected to be
completed in 2008. When it is finished, this project will make the International District
more beautiful by adding greenery and public art that celebrates ID history. It will create
a healthy environment by planting more trees (which helps to clean our air) and creating a more natural water drainage system (to clean our water and reuse it for watering
the greenery). The Green Street project is just one of many ways that the community is
addressing some of the environmental issues it faces.
12 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
People making a difference...
The mainstream environmental movement has long excluded communities of
color. But it is communities of color that are most disproportionately impacted by
unfair environmental policies and practices. Studies have shown that toxic or dangerous facilities in the United States are more likely to be located in a community of color
than in a white community.
Across the country, Asians and Pacific Islanders are fighting to make sure that our
communities are healthy and safe for our families to live in. Let us introduce you to a
few of our heroes ...
Father Nguyen The Vien
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of Vietnamese residents of New
Orleans East were displaced. Because of the leadership of Father Vien, many quickly
returned to their community to rebuild. Father Vien led the efforts to ensure that
essential services such as water and electricity were restored to returning residents.
And when the city established a new landfill (the Chef Meneur landfill) less than
two miles from their community, Father Vien mobilized many residents, and API
organizations from across the country, to close Chef Meneur - saving the community from what would have been 6.5 million cubic yards of potentially hazardous waste in an unprotected dump site. For more information on this case, visit:
www.neworleanseast.com/news/article/landfill/landfill1.htm.
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
The Asian Pacific Environmental Network was founded in 1993 to empower API
communities to achieve environmental and social justice. Their community organizing work has played a key role in ensuring safe working conditions for immigrants,
establishing a multilingual warning system for emergencies, and protecting affordable housing and safe living conditions in the face of gentrification. APEN’s work
is primarily focused on the San Francisco Bay Area, serving communities in both
Oakland and Richmond, Calif. Their Asian Youth Advocates program engages young
people in their movement building strategies. For more information on APEN, go to:
www.apen4ej.org.
Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ)
Our hometown heroes! The Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ)
has been responsible for leading the way on victories that have protected the health of
our city’s most vulnerable populations. Thanks to CCEJ’s organizing efforts, communities have won hard-fought battles to protect the air quality of South Seattle. Their
advocacy work has moved environmental justice to the forefront of political agendas,
and regional networks have been built to work cross-culturally. CCEJ’s work reaches
thousands of people a year through outreach and education. To find out more about
CCEJ, go to www.ccej.org.
How you can help … support any one of these causes or organizations!
Special thanks to our many partners who contributed to this report:
Aleta Eng (USDA Forest Service), Wendy Miller and Duy Tran (REI),
Ticiang Diangson (Seattle Public Utilities), Paul Carr (Puget Sound Clean
Air Agency), Tom Im (Inter*Im), Bill Lee (Chinatown International District
Business Improvement Area), Jin Wei Li (elder resident) and Joyce Tseng
(Community Coalition for Environmental Justice). Photos and captions
by Phi Hoa Nguyen, youth participant of the WILD program. The printing of this insert was made possible through the generosity of the Seattle
Youth Employment Program, the Environmental Protection Agency and the
International Examiner.
Getting out!
Enjoy the outdoors beyond
the International District
Story by: Kieu Chinh Nguyen and Toan Nguyen
Did you know that in Washington state, there are many places to enjoy the great
outdoors? We interviewed many people and asked for recommendations on places that
people can either hike to or camp nearby to enjoy the outdoors. These activities are available for everyone - bring your family, friends or romantic partner! Here, we list the top
five places that people have visited and recommended.
1. Mt Rainier - Spray Park:
Spray Park is one of the most beautiful areas of Mount Rainier. Be prepared for lots
of alpine scenery! Note, permits are required for camping.
2. Mt. Baker - Heather Meadows:
Mt. Baker, a volcano, is the third highest mountain in the state of Washington. Heather
Meadows offers a view of Mt. Baker, which sometimes lets out steam ... an amazing site to
see!
3. Skykomish - Iron Goat Trail:
On the Iron Goat Trail, you will enjoy beautiful views of surrounding mountains,
comfortable benches along the trail and interesting educational signs. Note, a Northwest
Forest Pass is required.
4. Asahel - Curtis:
Asahel Curtis trail is beautiful! This forest trail is an easy, fun and educational hike. It
is great for families because of its picnic areas and all there is to see (from wild flowers to
trees). Northwest Forest Pass required.
5. Franklin Falls:
Franklin Falls is an easy walk through an old growth forest. If you like falls or rivers
- be sure to visit and explore! Northwest Forest Pass required.
Going out to see these wonderful
places offers a totally different experience. It is very different from being in
the city and being indoors. There are
many trees to see as well as animals.
Being in the outdoors gives people fresh
air that makes them feel good inside. It
helps your health by hiking, swimming
and keeping your body moving. Not
only is it physically healthy, but also
mentally healthy by relaxing the mind.
When you do any of these activities such
as hiking or camping, some things you
need to bring are extra food, water, light,
something to make fire, a map, sun protection, shoes, clothes and a backpack!
REI is a great place to get all the materials you need. Their staff is very helpful
in giving tips on places and equipment.
We hope that you will try these top five
places because they are really beautiful!
This is a waterfall in the Cedar River Watershed.
The Cedar River Watershed supplies much of
Seattle’s water.
GUIDE
Silk, hand-dyed scarves by Kuni Yano are on
display at Newberry books Sept. 21 – 23. 561 NE
Ravenna Ave. (206) 524-4260.
*ArtXchange in partnership with PATH sponsor a show that showcases Michael Wang’s work
done in Kenya, Nicaragua and Bolivia. Through
Oct. 27. 512 First Ave. S. (206) 839-0377.
*Anthea Groves has a show of new drawings
at Arts Studio Gallery on Bainbridge Island.
On view through Oct. 13. Maybe it is because
she lives on Bainbridge and shows infrequently
in Seattle, but her work deserves to be better
known. The gallery is located at 7869 Fletcher
Bay Rd. (4 driveways south of High School Rd.)
(206) 780-5014.
*Kirkland Arts Center presents “Filter,” a group
exhibition with guest curators Michelle Kumata
and Heinrich Toh, examines the impact of
heritage on six Asian and Asian American artists.
Includes work by Diem Chau, Etsuko Ichikawa,
Kamla Kakaria, Michelle Kumata, Saya Moriyasu
and Heinrich Toh. Opens Sept. 13 from 6 – 8
p.m. Through Oct. 6. 620 Market St. Kirkland.
(425) 822-7161x102. www.kirklandartscenter.org
The annual solo show by artist Z.Z. Wei continues through September at Patricia Rovzar Gallery.
1225 Second Ave. (206) 223-0273.
*Bellevue Arts Museum presents “A Tapestry
of Memories: The Art of Dinh Q. Le” on view
through Dec. 30. This is the first major survey
on the photographic and conceptual work of
this Vietnamese American artist who creates
woven photographic works that explore personal
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 13
Welcome to our extended version of the Arts Etc. column, the IE Fall Arts Guide that walks you through
some of the events on tap to what looks like a rich and varied slate of arts activities through the fall and
into the new year. I have put an *asterik next to items I feel might be worth watching out for.
In our stories for this issue we take an in-depth look at artists who cross boundaries and genres.
Isafua Sua who carries his Samoan American culture with him through his art. We also catch up with
choreographer Cherone Wong as she prepares for her new production, “sub-Rosa.” And finally, a film
review of "Vanaja." Enjoy! — Alan Chong Lau, Arts Editor for IE
and cultural identities in conflict. Also includes
two multi-channel video installations and two
embroideries. Drawn from both public and private collections, this show is a retrospective of
over 20 years of work. Also opening on Sept. 26
and on view till Jan. 27 is a new large-scale installation by Ed Pien entitled “Haven” incorporating
sculpture, hand cut and tinted paper as well as
video and sound. 510 Bellevue Way NE. (425)
519-0770. www.bellevuearts.org
*“Shizuku” is a new show of Masami Koda’s
mixed media sculpture. The work shows an imaginative use of media and materials to create stunning re-creations of nature. On view through Oct.
7 at Traver Gallery in Tacoma. Opening reception
on Sept. 22 from 5 – 8 p.m. 1821 E. Dock St. #
100. (253) 383-3685. www.travergallery.com
“Are These Photographs?” is an exhibit of
works by three renowed photographers of
architecture from Tokyo. Ryo Hata and his two
sons, Ko and Taku do work that strongly suggest
Japanese woodblock prints or sumi paintings
but in fact derive from photography as their
source. The exhibit runs through September
The figurative work of Stella Hultberg, Amy Sol at Cafe Paloma. 95 Yesler Way. (206) 405-1920.
and Oksana Badrak are shown together in a show www.cafepaloma.com
at Roq La Rue Gallery through Oct. 6. 2312
“Moneyville” is a new interactive exhibit that
– 2nd Ave. (206) 374-8977. www.roqlarue.com
educates and entertains the family while pro“You Can’t Get There From Here, Art And Life moting financial literacy. Through Jan. 13 at The
in the Lower Skagit” is a new show that captures Children’s Museum. 305 Harrison, Seattle Center.
the artistic scene of the lower Skagit Valley in the (206) 441-1768. www.thechildrensmuseum.org
late 60s to early 70s. With roots in Morris Graves,
Asian art, cooperative works and hippy culture, “Pins For Men - Contemporary Jewelry Art For
these artists generated a whole new school of Men” is a group show that features new work
creativity. Gallery talks and a book on the artists from over 20 nationally known contemporary
are planned. Through Oct. 3. Gallery talk with the studio metalsmiths including Yeonmi Kang.
artists about this special arts scene from another Opening lecture and reception is Sept. 19 from
era on Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. KOBO and Seward 4 – 7 p.m. Please RSVP. Through Oct. 3. Facere
Park Clay Studio present the Third Annual Jewelry Art Gallery at the US Bank/CityCentre at
“SIMPLE CUP” invitational show featuring over 1420 5th Ave., Suite #108. (206) 624-6768.
60 nationally known American and Japanese
artists. Nov. 17 – Dec. 30. Opening reception on *“An-My Le: Small Wars” is an exhibition that
Nov. 17 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. 604 South Jackson. explores the war in Vietnam and the current
war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But unlike some
206-381-3000. www.koboseattle.com
Dinh Q. Le at Bellevue Arts
Museum.
war-time news photojournalists, Le avoids the
real battlefield in favor of documenting the eerie
netherworld of practice staging areas where soldiers spend their weekends reenacting battles in
the forests of Virginia or the California desert.
What emerges is a unique kind of war imagery
that seems at once removed but unnerving
nonetheless. Through Nov. 4 in the East Gallery.
Henry Art Gallery on the UW campus at 15th
Ave. NE & NE 41st St. (206) 543-2280.
“Emergence” is a group show featuring the
works of artists Aalyah Gupta, Jennifer Neal and
Ying Zhou. The works are reflections on different states of transition and inner/outer spaces
encompassing the physical & metaphysical. Free.
Through Sept. 30. Hugo House’s Hugo Gallery.
1634 11th Ave.
*The work by Seattle installation artist Susie J.
Lee is included in a group show entitled “Perfect
Landscape: Painting Broken Down” through Sept.
29. She will also have her first solo show of new
sculptural videos and installations here. Oct. 4
– Nov. 17. Lawrimore Project at 831 Airport Way
S. (206) 501-1231. www.lawrimoreproject.com
- continued on page 15
14 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
Iosefatu Sua: Heart of an artist
BY CLAIRE EMIKO FANT
Urban contemporary art is making
forays into mainstream culture. Curators
such as Damion Hayes at BLVD Gallery in
Belltown are exhibiting the works of accomplished artists from a generation whose
time has arrived, who grew up nurtured by
hip hop music and culture, and started out
painting graffiti. While the uninitiated and
disinterested dismiss graffiti art as defacement, those enmeshed in hip hop recognize
and study the works of the talented, driven
and original among them whose calling is
visual art.
Samoan, amiable, Iosefatu Sua, is one such
artist. Like his peers, he is self-taught. Born
in Wellington, New Zealand, he remembers
drawing cars for his school friends in first
grade, and soon after taking notice of the
graffiti works of his older brother. When
Sua was 14, his father, a Pentecostal minister, was assigned to serve Samoan American
congregations in the United States, so the
family moved first to San Francisco, and
then later settled in Colorado Springs
where a number of SamoanAmericans
served in the U.S. military.
With his family living below the poverty
line, Sua gravitated to hip hop music culture and found an artistic outlet in graffiti
art. After high school, feeling he needed to
escape gang life in Colorado Springs, he
enlisted in the Army, received training as a
medical specialist, and was sent to Germany.
While there he happened to hook up with a
like-minded artist, and together they practiced their art on autobahn underpasses.
Upon discharge from Fort Lewis, Sua
moved to Seattle and studied graphic design
at Seattle Central Community College. He
supported himself partly by drawing and
painting postcard-sized works and selling
them at the Pioneer Square artwalk. These
were small character and portrait studies
and designs that were accessible and affordable for street customers. He also visited
galleries and volunteered his design talents
for various hip hop music, theater and gallery projects to try to gain exposure for his
art.
His hard work and perseverance is paying off. He has participated in several gallery
shows—BLVD Gallery, Scion Installation 3,
Vain and Bumbershoot 2007—to name
but a few. Plus, he was recently hired by
Microsoft to design and create illustrations
for the Zune music festivals.
Sua’s works possess the attitude and
stylings of graffiti/urban art with the
graphic caricature-like emphasis on simple
graphic forms—whether it is a facial feature or a design—to deliver its message.
His paintings are rich in color (straight
from the tube) and movement, and his line
work is naturally vibrant like Maori tatoos,
the designs infused with and informed
by his Samoan heritage. His subject matter has ranged from creating portraits of
the inhabitants and culture of a mythical
South Pacific Island, “Pepelo” (“Natural
Selection” at BLVD Gallery, 2006), to turning the tables on Western culture’s trivialization of the Polynesian Tiki god tradition
(“TiKKKi” in collaboration with Filipino
artist and friend, Darwin Vida at BLVD
Gallery 2007). The
result is truly original work.
While attending a 2006 exhibit
at BLVD Gallery of
renowned graffiti
artist David Choe’s
work, Sua checked
out a show at
BLVD’s sister gal- Iosefatu Sua. www.iosefatu-sua.com
lery next door, Roq
La Rue, where a Tiki-themed show was up.
Upon being asked about what inspires his
Seeing a symbol revered in Pacific Island tra- work, Sua’s response is, “Anger.” Inspiration
dition, treated as another Kitsch pop icon, comes from his experience as an immihit a nerve. Sua approached BLVD Gallery grant to the United States—his parents and
curator, Damion Hayes, with an idea that friends who work hard at multiple jobs, but
transpired into the recent “TiKKKi” show who remain financially poor with no real
there. Sua collaborated with Vida to create community resource to which to turn for
new work with an alternative Tiki theme. help and education; the demonization and
Putting a 180-degree spin on the Western criminalization of immigrant ethnic groups;
misappropriation of the Tiki symbol, Sua Christianity wiping out the native religious
painted portraits of various tattooed Pacific traditions of the South Pacific Islands; the
Islanders—one adorned with a necklace of recent experience of his father, detained for
Jesus heads, another hefting a beer can plas- six months in jail without recourse upon
tered with a Christian cross design.
his return to the United States after attendFeeling that his paintings might not ing the funeral of a relative in New Zealand.
deliver the punch he desired, Sua found a Suspicion was aroused because he had not
used book containing the Biblical engrav- applied for U.S. citizenship after 20 years’
ings of 19th century French artist, Gustave legal residence.
Doré. For Sua, Christianity is another key
Iosefatu Sua is also inspired by hip hop,
piece in the puzzle of his identity. Much his Samoan heritage, artist peers such as
of classic Christian religious art contains Barry Mcgee (Twister), and European artists
vivid and violent imagery, so he appropri- Hieronymous Boch and Gustav Klimt. He
ated a few of Doré’s pieces, and by expertly is an artist who connects his work (which
adding his designs to copies of the black- includes art installations and sculpture as
and-white engravings, he transformed them well as painting) to purpose, who is not
into imagery that drove his message home. afraid to be true to himself, and the subject
Doré’s “Death of Stephen” was turned inside at hand. While driving his parents to the airout—from depiction of the stoning of the port for their return trip to Colorado Springs
Christian martyr into the stoning by angry after the “TiKKKi” gallery show, Sua’s father
Pacific Island natives of a figure in a Klan paid him probably his greatest compliment,
hood who had just painted a sign reading when he told his son that he understood
“Tiki Bar Coming Soon.”
what he was trying to say.
- continued from page 13
“How the Soy Sauce Was Bottled” is a special
exhibition featuring the artwork of Heinrich Toh,
James Lawrence Ardena, June Sekiguchi, Saya
Moriyasu and Susie Jungune Lee who created
new works based on the museum’s permanent
collection. Tracey Fugami will moderate an artist lecture & discussion about the show on Sept.
23 from 2 – 4 p.m. in the Theatre Off Jackson
below the museum. Free. Members and guests
are invited to the opening reception of “Journey
to Justice: 223 Years of Asian Pacific American
Labor in the Puget Sound” (on display Sept. 28
through Nov. 30). The event is free. Light refreshments will be served. To RSVP, contact Joann
Natalia Aquino at (206) 623-5124 ext. 106 or
email [email protected]. On view through
Nov. 20, 2007. “Family Day at the Wing!” happens every third Saturday of the month from 1
– 3 p.m.On Oct. 20, graphic designer Pei Pei
Sung leads a creative luminary workshop crafted
from a variety of materials. On Nov. 17, join in a
button making workshop. To register for workshops, call (206) 623-5124 x114. Also check out
an online exhibition entitled “Sikh Community:
Over 100 Years in the Pacific Northwest” by following the “Special Exhibitions” link from the
Web site. (206) 623-5124. www.wingluke.org
*The Seattle Asian Art Museum presents
the following. “Shu: Reinventing Books in
Contemporary Chinese Art” looks at the power
and tradition of Chinese art and culture and
how contemporary Chinese artists have tackled this theme in their own ways. Includes Xu
Bing’s groundbreaking installation, “Book from
the Sky.” Organized by China Institute Gallery
and & curated by Wu Hung. Through Dec. 2.
In addition, Sio Ieng Ng’s video installation
entitled “Representing Ink” runs till Dec. 2.
Ng uses her desire to capture ink in motion to
depict the power of ink flowing, unrestrained
by the brush. Accompanying the video will be
works on paper and canvas exploring this theme.
Public tours of “Shu” take place on Saturdays at 2
p.m. starting in the Fuller Garden Court through
Dec. 2. “Free First Saturdays Family Program”
on Oct. 6 features “Cool Characters,” a fun
workshop in which you are invited to discover
the art of calligraphy. Saturdays at 11am, 1400
E. Prospect in Volunteer Park. (206) 654-3100.
www.seattleartmuseum.org
*The new expanded Seattle Art Museum is
now open downtown. A showcase on Ukiyo-e
woodblock prints from the Kollar Collection and
“Five Masterpieces of Asian Art – The Story of
Their Conservation” and permanent installations
by Cai Guo-Qiang and Do Ho Suh are some of
the highlights. Set to open Oct. 11 is a major new
exhibit with SAM being the sole venue for it outside Japan. *“Japan Envisions the West – 16th
– 19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City
Museum” looks at the way Japanese art during
this time reflects Western influence. The show
will run till Jan. 6 with a closing from Nov. 27
– 30 for exhibition changeover. Included in the
as well as fiber/multi-media installations. Work
by Surabhi Ghosh, Seiko Purdue, Taro Hattori,
Mayumi Hamanaka, Yuken Teruya and Lin
Tianmiao is included. Oct. 1 – Nov. 30. Public
symposium on Oct. 8 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. SMATE
Lecture Hall 150. The exhibition is in the Western
Gallery on the campus of Western Washington
University. (360) 650-3900.
*Malpina Chan shows new work further chronicling her Chinese American family history with
Kloe Kang and Suzanne Wolfe of Hawai’i in a
group show of mixed media and installation.
Oct. 30 – Dec. 20 at Patricia Cameron Gallery.
234 Dexter Ave. N. (206) 343-9647. www.patricia
camerongallery.com
The work of ceramic sculptor Kensuke
Yamada is included in a group show entitled
“Body Image” set for Nov. 8 – Dec. 8 at SAM
Kobe collection of 142 treasures is an assortment Gallery at 1220 Third Ave. (206) 343-1101.
of namban & Komo art, a rich variety of maps, www.seattleartmuseum.org/artrentals
paintings, prints, ceramics, lacquerware, textiles,
leather, glass and metalware. 1300 1st. (206) *Roger Shimomura has a major new show
654-3100.
entitled “Minidoka On My Mind” which features
31 new paintings and a new lithograph. Nov. 15
Carolyn Fine Japanese Prints features prints of – Dec. 29 accompanied by a catalog with an essay
the “Tokaido Road” Series by Katsuhika Hokusai by L.A. poet Amy Uyematsu. After Seattle, the
as well as recent acquisitions from Japan on view show travels on to New York and Santa Fe. Greg
through Sept. 2001 Western Ave. #320. (206) Kucera Gallery 212 Third Ave. S. (206) 624-0770.
621-1888. www.carolynstaleyprints.com
www.gregkucera.com
Michael Wang: Hands of shoeshine boy. La Paz,
Bolivia at ArtXchange.
Ming’s Asian Gallery presents “Every Room
Should Have A Garden View,” a show of watercolors by Kim Kyong Hee. On view from Sept. 27
– Oct. 31 at Ming’s Asian Gallery at 10217 Main
St. in Old Bellevue, (425) 462-4008 as well as
Ming’s Asian Gallery in Seattle at 519 6th Ave. S.
(206) 748-7889. mingsgallery.com
The work of Gerard Tsutakawa is
included in the annual West Edge
Sculpture Exhibition presented outdoors at Benaroya Hall, Harbor Steps
and the Seattle Art Museum steps
downtown. On view through Oct. 20.
1007 First Ave. Tickets at www.brownp
apertickets.com/events15367. www.wested
gesculpture.com
“Sumi: Simple Elegance” is the title of a group
show by The Puget Sound Sumi Artists through
Sept. 22. Arts West Gallery at 4711 California Ave.
SW (206) 938-0963.
*The Paul Horiuchi Retrospective put together
by noted Northwest curator Barbara Johns will be
on view March 15 – June 15, 2008 at the Museum
of Northwest Art in La Connor. Opening reception on March 15 from 2 – 5 p.m. The catalog
with an essay written by Johns also includes reminiscences of family history by son Paul Horiuchi
Jr. and will be published by the University of
Washington Press. 121 South First St. (360)
466-4446. www.museumofnwart.org
The work of Seattle artist Taiko Suzuki is
included in a group show entitled “ARTS
& Letters” on view through Sept. 25 at
The Gallery at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts
at 151 Winslow Way East on Bainbridge
Island. (206) 842-3132.
The Seattle Chapter of Ikebana Institute presents the following workshops. Glenn Gardner
will give a lecture on Bonsai on Oct. 18 at 10:
30 a.m. Midori Kono Thiel will give a Sumi-e
workshop on Nov. 15 at 10:30 a.m. Japanese
The work of Teiko Shimazaki is included in Presbyterian Church at 1801 – 24th S. in Seattle.
the Women Painters of Washington Exhibition (206) 954-3833. www.seattleikebana.org
at Washington State Convention & Trade
Center through Sept. 25. 800 Convention Pl. "Kites of Shadow Puppets” is an exhibit
www.womanpainters.com
of Indonesian kites closely linked to nature,
protective spirits, and revered ancestors. Through
Ohararyu Ikebana Seattle Chapter holds Dec. 31 at the World Kite Museum and Hall of
their flower arrangement exhibition at Seattle fame at 303 Sid Snyder Dr. in Long Beach, Wash.
Japanese School at 1414 S. Weller on Sept. 29 (360) 642-4020. www.worldkitemuseum.com
– 30. Demonstrations will be on Sept. 30 at 2
p.m. Free. (206) 417-0658.
*“Window on a Community: Nikkei Farmers
of the Hood River Area” celebrates the early
*“Fabric of Identity” investigates the representa- history of the first Japanese settlers in the Hood
tion of identities from a number of different per- River area of Oregon. On view through Jan. 6 of
spectives in textile woven in clothing/furnishings 2008. (503) 224-1458.
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 15
*Elliott Bay Book Company presents the following authors. Dr. Vincent Lam reads from
his book of short stories entitled “Bloodletting
& Miraculous Cures” (Weinstein Books) on Sept.
19 at 7:30 p.m. Seattle poet *Anna Maria Hong
joins other Washington poets Derek Sheffield
& Richard Wakefield in a reading from a new
anthology entitled “Limbs of the Pine, Peaks
of the Range: Poems by Twenty-six Pacific
Northwest Poets” (Rose Alley Press). Sept. 22 at 7:
30 p.m. Bich Minh Nguyen returns to read from
a new paperback edition of “Stealing Buddha’s
Dinner” during the first week of February 2008.
All readings at Elliott Bay unless otherwise noted.
101 South Main. (206) 624-6600.
“The September Project” is part of a global
grassroots effort to foster intelligent discourse
subsequent to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Towards this effort the Seattle Public Library
brings renowned mountain climber-turnedhumanitarian Greg Mortensen for a series of talks.
With co-author David Oliver Relin, he tells of the
work he has undertaken to build schools for the
poor in Pakistan and Afganistan all found in his
bestselling, award-winning book, “Three Cups of
Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One
School at a Time” (Penguin). The free program
is presented by the Washington Center for the
Book at the Seattle Public Library in cooperation
with The Elliot Bay Book Company with support
from KUOW 94.9 Public Radio and the Kiriyama
Prize. Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. at Town Hall Seattle at
1119 Eighth Ave., Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at Beacon Hill
Branch Library at 2821 Beacon Ave. S., Sept. 25 at
1 p.m. at Douglass-Truth Branch Library at 2300 E.
Yesler Way, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Green Lake Public
Library Branch at 7364 E. Green Lake Drive N. and
Sept. 26 at Bainbridge High School Gym at 9330
NE High School Road on Bainbridge Island. (206)
386-4636. www.spl.org; www.threecupsoftea.com;
www.spl.org; www.kiriyamaprize.org
Masaaki Modegi, Chairman of The Japan Kite
Association, Curator of the Tokyo Kite Museum
and author of “The Making of Japanese Kites”
(Kodansha America) is available to discuss the
fascinating history of kites from Oct. 2 – 6 during the American Kitefliers Association’s Annual
Convention in Ocean Shores, Wash.
*Maliha Masood teaches a course for UW
Women’s Center: “From Burquas to Catwalks:
Perspectives on Women in Islam.” (206) 6851090. http://depts.washington.edu/womenctr/
Elliott Lewis, television journalist and author
of “Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America”
gives a talk entitled “Chicken Gumbo for the
Multicultural Soul: Lessons from the Mixed
Race Experience in America.” He is the keynote
speaker for the Washington State Association
for Multicultural Education’s 13th Annual Fall
Conference on Oct. 27 at Seattle University’s
Pigott Hall. www.wsame.org
*Poets Oliver De La Paz and Aimee
Nezhukumatathil share a reading at Open Books
on Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in what should be a delightful evening of poetry. De La Paz teaches at Western
in Bellingham and will be reading from his new
book entitled “Furious Lullaby” (Southern Illinois
Press). Nezhukumatathil journeys out from New
York to read from her latest book, “At The DriveIn Volcano” (Tupelo Press). Both poets have a way
with images and a love of language. 2414 N. 45th
St. (206) 633-0811. www.openpoetrybooks.com
*“Kevin Bales: Ending Slavery” is the name of a
talk by one of the world’s leading expert on modern slavery as practiced by countries around the
world today. Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Co-presented by
the University Bookstore. Town Hall at 1119 – 8th
Ave. in Seattle. www.townhallseattle.org
16 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
Choreographer Cheronne Wong: Refusing to be pigeonholed as only “Asian”
BY ROXANNE RAY
Flamboyance versus concealment.
Identity versus impersonation. These are a
few of the variations of the “undercover”
investigations in Cheronne Wong’s new
dance piece, “sub-Rosa.”
Combining modern dance with her
characteristic use of martial arts, plus a
fair amount of paired acrobatics, Wong has
developed an hour-long series of movement
devoted to exploring the lies – and the ultimate truth – in the body.
“The body is a complex organ and we’ve
discovered that it can reveal and hide all at
the same time,” Wong says. “But it’s so easy
to be disingenuous. I truly believe that the
body can’t lie no matter how hard we try to
hide.”
Wong’s process spanned a year of collaborative work with her four dancers:
Christina Guillette, Danny Herter, Kade
Stotler, and Naho Shioya. “We explored a lot
with improv (solo and group) to find that
place of moving with total abandonment,
honesty and power,” Wong says.
After asking each performer to create a
profile of a spy, she then “challenged them
to explore bizarre things – speak in nonsensical language, sing, turn the movement 90
degrees, imagine walking on the moon ...”
She also collaborated with composer
Amy Denio and video artist John D. Pai,
incorporating the use of creative video
projections, gobos, and fog, to augment the
dancers’ movement with the dynamism of
nature and the social.
“The big challenge,” Wong says, “was to
not create a piece with a story or narrative
“sub-Rosa” by Cheronne Wong
but yet have something tangible for the
performers to hang on to while embodying
their spy personas — subtle but powerful
theatricality.”
The sound and video gestures toward the
conventions of spy thrillers, using shadow
and repetition to evoke the sense of the
detected versus the detective, the hunted
versus the hunter.
“During this year-long process we’ve also
explored using text and sound-making (collaborating with Susie Kozawa),” Wong says.
“Much of it we’ve edited out ... but it was a
process of exploring deeper into the char-
acters of the piece.”
Part of that exploration has been Wong’s
choice to move away from her previous use
of site-specific space toward a more traditional indoor venue.
“We were originally going to be presented at Conworks,” Wong says. “But that
space closed down so I had to hunt for
an alternate space to self-produce.” Wong
considered performing “sub-Rosa” at a raw
space at Sandpoint, but believed the logistics
of converting the space into a public performance venue would be too daunting.
“I chose Langston Hughes because it’s a
wonderful theater but not your traditional
dance venue,” Wong says. “I wanted a venue
that would be best for a theatrical work
[ideal conditions for lighting, video and
floor surface for dancing].”
Before her current role as choreographer,
Wong previously performed since childhood
as a dancer. “I started out studying ballet in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and had fantasies
of becoming a ballet dancer,” Wong says.
Dance “was never an option when college
came around,” she says. Wong’s parents sent
her overseas to earn a degree in accounting.
“But I made sure the college had a dance
program and I joined the college dance
company and started training in modern
dance.”
That training led to a dance fellowship at
Ohio State University, where Wong received
her master’s degree in fine arts.
But despite that advanced training,
Wong recalls her grandmother as one of her
primary influences: Wong says that, during
her upbringing in a Catholic Chinese family in Malaysia, her grandmother “nurtured
my performer side by taking me to Chinese
movies and having Chinese soap dramas on
the radio play every day.”
Yet, because of her education in the UK
and the USA, Wong says, “I feel that I straddle the East and West in the subject matter
that I choose, the style of movement and my
aesthetic. I believe that my heritage is subtly
reflected in my work.”
Attempting to bridge the East and West,
Wong says she struggles with the challenge
to “generate material that is truly uncensored and genuine, that is not masked by but
enhanced by many years of Western training
and education.”
When Wong first studied dance in New
York, she joined what she calls “an Isadora
Duncan-derivative dance company.” She
reports: “I floated in silk tunics in a very cold
warehouse space. It was not my cup of tea.”
This led to her interest in a wider variety
of dance forms: “My study of post-modern
dance technique in NYC was wonderful in
terms of generation of movement, but I
found it too bland and I try to spice up my
work with inserting other movement references,” she says.
Now Wong reports: “I love all kinds of
dance – modern, ballet, jazz. I also love
social dancing and for awhile was heavy into
the salsa scene.”
Because of her Asian heritage, Wong has
sometimes encountered expectations that
conflict with the work she strives to create.
“People expect or assume my work to be
either traditional, folk, or directly referencing my Asian heritage,” she says. “Sometimes
I feel that it’s difficult for some to place me in
the experimental, post-modern realm.”
But Wong’s philosophy is more comprehensive: “Movement is movement whether
it’s derived from European, African, or Asian
roots, but if the passion and message is honest, I couldn’t care less about the genre,” she
says. “My experience from growing up in
a multicultural environment where in one
sentence you would hear words in Malay,
Chinese, and English has definitely influenced my willingness to blend all types of
dance styles.”
Along with combining those multiple
dance styles, Wong plans to pursue her interest in weaving together interdisciplinary
aspects of performance: “My continued
interest is honing in on the craft of blending
movement with content and theater.”
She also mingles her creative work with
the challenges of self-producing. “I’m acting
as publicist, grant writer, project manager,
creative director and that drains me mentally
and physically!”
Add to that motherhood and part-time
work as an accountant, and Wong finds that
embracing collaboration with other artists is
a necessity rather than a luxury. “My process
had to change since I have less studio time
creating, but rely on my performers to collaborate with movement,” Wong says. “I
have four incredible performers - they are
each very different and unique. This piece
wouldn’t be what it is without their contribution and their willingness to experiment
with me.”
The “undercover” theme of “sub-Rosa”
hearkens to part of Wong’s long-held sense
of herself. “I was (am) always very shy growing up and found an outlet in expression in
dance,” she says. “Dance was the one outlet
that I could be completely free and uncensored.”
“sub-Rosa” runs through Sept. 22 at
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center,
104 17th Ave. S., Seattle.
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e-mail us at:
[email protected]
- or visit:
www.iexaminer.org
*The Women Playwright’s Festival produced by
Hedgebrook and Seattle Repertory Theatre is now
in its 10th year. This year’s festival runs from Sept.
20 – 23 in the Poncho Forum at Seattle Rep. Naomi
Iizuka is one of the four playwrights selected and
there will be a reading of *“Ghostwritten.” This
play is the story of an American woman hitchhiking through S.E. Asia who strikes a bargain with
a mysterious stranger. Twenty years later when
she’s an acclaimed chef of Asian cuisine with an
adopted Vietnamese-born daughter, the stranger
returns to collect on an old debt. Friday, Sept. 21 at
4 p.m. (206) 443-2222. www.seattlerep.org
Choreographer Cherone Wong’s “sub-Rosa”
(see review this issue) is a multi-media piece that
explores an undercover world of masked identities
and covert communication. Last few shows Sept.
21 – 22. Langston Hughes Cultural Center. 104
– 17th Ave. S. 1-(800) 838-3006. www.BrownPap
erTickets.com/event/17044
Seattle Children’s Theatre presents “Disney’s
High School Musical,” with the largest cast in
SCT’s history. Will baseball star Troy and new
brainy student Gabriella make it though love and
auditions for the school musical and fulfill their
destiny or will they be thwarted by rivals? With
Khanh Doan in the role of Sharpay Evans and
Don Darryl Rivera as her sidekick. Through Nov.
24. 201 Thomas. (206) 441-3322. www.sct.org
Bunka Women’s University from Tokyo has
their annual fashion show titled “WISH! – realize our ideals” on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Free. RSVP at (425) 483-5974. 1625 Broadway.
Seattle Central Community College’s Broadway
Performance Hall.
*Tired of all the hokey martial arts moves you see
in martial arts films or on TV? Come get a taste
of the real thing when the “Shaolin Warriors
– Kung Fu Masters of China” come to the Moore
Theatre on Sept. 30. 7:30 p.m. (206) 628-0888.
www.Ticketmaster.com
*Portland Taiko presents a new theatrical production “The Way Home,” a collaboration with Byron
Au Yong (composer), Valerie Otani (visual artist)
and Oregon poet laureate Lawson Inada. Sept. 21
– 23. Newmark Theatre at 1111 SW Broadway in
Portland. (503) 790-ARTS.
*The Chijinshu Wakate-da Taiko Group from
Urasoe, Okinawa will perform a concert at UW’s
Kane Hall on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. The concert benefits
the Japanese Cultural and Community Center
of Washington. Call (206) 323-0250 or email
[email protected] for tickets.
Duo En, a husband and wife duo of koto and
shakuhachi, will perform at Seattle Japanese
Garden (weather permitting) through October
every Sunday. 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E. They
also perform in a seasonal series in homage to
their teacher entitled “Simply Sawai: A Concert
in Four Seasons Celebrating the Music of Sawai
Tadao (1937-1997) “ on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. and
Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Soundbridge. (206) 336-6600.
www.soundbridge.org; www.duoen.com
Well known Japanese singer and comedienne
Naoko Ken will perform a charity concert to benefit the Japanese Cultural and Community Center
of Washington at Benaroya Hall on Oct. 12. 200
University St. (206) 568-7114 for tickets.
*SIS Productions is back with “Sex in Seattle
Episode 15: The Anatomy of Love,” the continuing exploits of Seattle Asian American singles in
and out of love. Oct. 19 – Nov. 10 with Friday &:
Sat. shows at 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. Join the Opening
Night Gala Party on Oct. 19 at around 9:30 p.m.
between shows. Free with an opening night
season with an adaptation of David Guterson’s
award-winning novel, “Snow Falling on Cedars”
set for Sept. 21 – Oct. 14 at the Center House
Theatre. Set in the San Juan Islands, a Japanese
American fisherman goes to trial accused of murder. The trial brings to light forbidden love and the
dark secrets of the Japanese American internment
that divided a community. 305 Harrison St. Call
206-216-0833. www.book-it.org
Jonah Von Spreecken as Ishmael Chambers
and Mona Leach as Hatsue Imada in Book-It’s
production of “Snow Falling on Cedars.” Photo:
John Ulman.
ticket. Hugo House at 1634 – 11th Ave. on Capitol
Hill. For tickets, call (206) 323-9443 or email
[email protected]. www.sexinseattle.org
*ReAct Theatre will present a full production
of the moving docu-drama, “The Exonerated,”
at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre through Sept. 23.
The play captures the drama of innocent people
unjustly serving time on death row for crimes
they did not commit suddenly given hope after
new evidence. This theatre which specializes in
mainstream productions using multi-ethnic casts
and non-traditional casting celebrates their 15th
anniversary as a theatre with upcoming productions of “Prelude To A Kiss,” “Schoolhouse Rock
Live!” and The Best of “All In The Timing.” They
continue their staged reading series at Elliott Bay
Book Company with a reading of “K2” by Patrick
Meyers on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. (206) 364-3283.
www.reacttheatre.org
*Pork-Filled Players, purveyors of Asian
American sketch comedy celebrate their 10th
Anniversary with “Lard & Order! Pork Filled
Intent!” which takes pot shots at law & order, crime
& punishment , Bush and the “T” word. Special
added attraction will be 2 Asian Canadian sketch
comedy groups, Assaulted Fish and Disoriental
who will join Pork-filled Players the last 2 weekends of the run. Oct. 19 – Nov. 3 at 10:30 p.m. At
the Theare Off Jackson at 409 – 7th Ave. S. For
tickets, call (206) 325-6500. For information, call
(206) 365-0282. www.ticketwindowonline.com
*Book-It Repertory Theatre kicks off their new
The Village Theatre presents Rogers &
Hammerstein’s musical, “The King & I,” Nov.
14 – Jan. 6 at the Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah
and Jan 11 – 27 in Everett. (425) 392-2202.
www.villagetheatre.org
SEED presents their “Arts Gumbo” Series with
One World Taiko performing on Nov. 10 at 5
p.m. Includes a participatory taiko workshop and
bento box dinner after the performance. Rainer
Valley Cultural Center at 3515 S. Alaska St. In conjunction with the program, the Columbia Branch
of the Seattle Public Library at 4721 Rainier Ave. S.
will have a discussion group on John Okada’s “No
No Boy” on Nov. 8 at 6:45 p.m. (206) 760-4286.
*Seattle Symphony has another season of great
classical music. Making a guest appearance is
George Takei, Mr. Sulu himself, who will serve
as narrator for a concert entitled “Sci-Fi Favorites”
featuring the music of John Williams. Sept. 20
– 23. Classical pianist Cecile Licad joins Gerard
Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony in a program
entitled “Rachmaninov Keyboard Fireworks”
which includes Bright Sheng’s “Tibetan Love
Songs” on Sept. 27 – 30. Violinist Kyoko
Takezawa returns to Seattle Symphony to play a
program featuring Bartok’s Violin Concerto No.
1 Oct. 4 – 6. Assistant Conductor Carolyn Kuan
will lead concerts in a series, “Concerts For Young
People” (Oct. 5, 6, 13 & 20, Jan. 19). Benaroya
Hall. (206) 215-4747. www.seattlesymphony.org
*The popular, internationally known 12 Girls
Band from Shanghai are set to perform at Benaroya
Hall downtown on Nov. 7. These women are all
proficient on traditional Chinese instruments.
Together they stir up genres and styles to present
a new contemporary sound held together by a
traditional frame. www.12girlsbandUSA.com
*The UW World Series at UW’s Meany Hall
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 17
has another rich and varied offering of the best
in dance, classic music, international chamber
musioc and world music & theatre. Highlights
include: Jan. 17 – 19 marks the Seattle premiere
of Ea Sola Dance Company from Vietnam.
Nov. 9 & 10 will bring the Seattle premiere of
Gamelan Cudamani from Indonesia. Wu Man
& the Hua Family Band brings traditional
Chinese music into a contemporary setting Feb.
23. Meany Hal, UW campus on 15th Ave. NE
between NE 40th and 41st Streets. (206) 543-4880.
www.uwworldseries.org
Town Hall has in the last few years served a key
function as a community center providing a
forum for discussion and performance. Some of
the performance events coming up include the
following. Korean-born Eun Joo Chung performs
as part of the “Virtuoso Piano Series” on Oct. 6 at
8 p.m. Taipei-born Tien Hsieh performs Nov. 10
at 8 p.m. as part of the “Virtuoso Piano Series”
(www.concertsnorthwest.com). (800) 838-3066.
(206) 353-5128. Town Hall is located at 1119 – 8th
Ave. www.townhallseattle.org
Hawaiian singer/songwriter Keali’I Reichel
performs at Emerald Queen Casinos in Tacoma
on Sept. 29 at 8:30 p.m.1-888-831-7655.
www.emeraldqueen.com
The Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs
Free Fall Concerts at City Hall continues. Kobe
City Philharmonic Chorus performs Oct. 11
from noon to 1 p.m. in the Bertha Knight Landes
Room. Indian music by Farmaish is featured Oct.
17 at noon also in the same location. 600 – 4th Ave.
(206) 684-7171.
*Nonsequitur presents a series of concerts and
events related to experimental music of all genres
at the Chapel Performance Space at The Good
Shepard Center. Gamelan Pacifica presents a
concert of traditional and contemporary gamelan
music with Javanese musician/composer Sutrisno
Hartana. Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. Tiffany Lin and
Matoko Honda perform music for two pianos on
Nov. 10. nseq.blogspot.com
*The City of Kent Arts Commission - Jake
Shimabukuro brings his musicality and fleet
fingers to practice on the strings of his ukulele on
Oct. 11. www.kentarts.com
18 —— Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007
Atmospheric Indian film also borders on Bollywood
BY CHIZU OMORI
“Vanaja” is an ambitious first feature for
Rajnesh Domalpalli. Originally conceived
to be a master’s thesis project at Columbia
University, it has been catapulted onto the
international stage and has been selected for
viewing by over 22 film festivals, winning
prizes along the way and is now playing in
theatres across the United States.
Vanaja is a 15-year-old girl in India
from an impoverished fishing family who
becomes a servant in the upper class household of a rich woman, a local landowner.
She’s spunky, attractive, and having been
told by a fortune teller that she will become
a dancer, she persuades her boss to teach her
Kuchipudi dance and music, a regional style
which is difficult and special.
Her father loses his boat and becomes
an out-and-out drunk, stealing her earnings and exploiting her. She is raped and
impregnated by the spoiled son of her boss,
and most of the story is devoted to the caste
and class differences that are impossible to
bridge even though two young people, in
spite of the rape, want to marry. Vanaja is
finally separated from the baby and set off
on her own, riding off into the sunset on an
elephant.
This is a fairly clichéd story line and
there’s nothing new here given the Indian
cultural setting. Domalpalli seems not to
know how to resolve this story since a happy
ending is out of the question, but the heroine can’t be totally abandoned, so we are left
not knowing what becomes of her. In what I
know about India, it would seem that there
are almost no decent options open to her
“Vanaja”
– not marriage, not employment, not education given her disgraced condition. One
would have to know more about modern
India to know what could really happen
in this situation, something the filmmaker
doesn’t tell us.
Well, that’s the plot, and what “Vanaja”
has going for it are the atmospherics, the
settings, the feel of village life and also in
the household of the wealthy boss. Many of
the song and dance routines felt added on,
and I suppose were meant for a Bollywood
audience which expects sudden bursts of
music and dancing. But the young woman
playing Vanaja is a good dancer and the dance
sequences are nicely entertaining. It’s an amateur cast, so you get the freshness and spontaneity of first-time performers, so in spite of
the rather grim story, there is charm and fun
and maybe even some hope at the end.
“Vanaja” opens Friday, Sept. 28 at
Landmark Varsity Theater (4329 University
Way NE).
Some new films to keep an eye out for in 2007
– 2008 include the following. Hyung-rae Shim
directs a Korean production in English entitled
“Dragon Wars” about dragons wrecking havoc
on contemporary L.A. Ann Hu’s “Beauty
Remains” pits two sisters vying for the heart
of the same man. Guy Moshe directs “Holly,”
a story about an American artifacts dealer who
tries to find the Vietnamese girl he befriends
after she is kidnapped. Thuy Nguyen stars.
“How To Cook Your Life” is a documentary
on American Zen Buddhist cookbook author
Edward Espe Brown by German director Doris
Dorrie. ”Nanking” documents the massacre
of Chinese by an occupying Japanese army in
1937-38 by Bill Guttentag and Bill Sturman.
Ang Lee’s newest ,“Lust, Caution,” stars Tang
Wei as an ordinary woman assigned to track
down, seduce and kill an enemy agent in wartime Shanghai during Japanese occupation. Wes
Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited” follows
three American brothers as they take a train
across India. Jia Zhangke (“Platform”) directs
“Still Life,” a film about a city in China set to be
destroyed by the Three Gorges dam project and
the man who returns to look for his wife. He also
has a new documentary out called “Useless” that
examines what we wear, who makes it and what
it all means. Jessica Yu’s “Protaganist” which
played SIFF, follows four individuals on all-consuming quests. Russian director Sergei Bodrov
depicts the youth of Genghis Khan in “Mongol”
starring Tadanobu Asano. “Secret Sunshine”
by Lee Chang-dong tells the story of a widow
and her young son as they make the adjustment
from big city to small town. Jeon Do-yeon in
the title role nabbed a Best Actress Award at this
year’s Cannes. Finally Masayuki Suo (“Shall We
Dance?”) switches gears from comedy to drama
with “I Just Didn’t Do It” that looks at the trial
of an ordinary man unjustly accused of groping a
schoolgirl on a crowded train.
*Tasveer presents Seattle’s 4th Independent
South Asian Film Festival, a 5-day film festival
of independent feature films, documentaries,
and short films. South Asia includes the countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.
Oct. 3 - 7. Broadway Performance Hall (1625
Broadway Ave, Seattle). FREE. www.tasveer.org
Shadowcatcher
Entertainment/Tom Gorai
Production. Both Shadowcatcher and Gorai are
from the Northwest.
*Northwest Film Forum’s “10th Annual Local
Sightings Film Festival – A Celebration of
Northwest Filmmaking” takes place Oct. 4 – 11.
A short by local Wes Kim entitled “Cookies For
Sale” is screened as well as a live staged reading of this year’s Washington State Screenplay
Competition winner, Margaret Friedman’s “Do
No Harm” which tells the story of a young
American surgeon forced to keep safe Japan’s
most notorious war criminal until he can come
to trial amidst the backdrop of a post WWII
McArthur style of Japanese government. The
third runner-up was “Imagiro” co-written by
Carinn Michele and Betty Kim. A three person
contingent of Aono Jikken Ensemble will be
performing sound effects live on stage with an
orchestra, a narrator, and a castroto all for the live
soundtrack to Guy Maddin’s “Brand Upon The
Brain” which is the closing night event on Oct.
10 & 11 at 8 p.m. at Cinerama. Shot in Seattle
with local cast and crew, the film looks at the
secret lives of families. www.localsightings.org
*“A Man Vanishes: The Legacy of Shohei
Imamura” is a long over-due retrospective looking at the career of this late, great film director.
As a young man, Imamura served as an assistant
to the much revered Yasujiro Ozu but their styles
couldn’t be more different. Forget austerity,
silence and zen-like epiphanies. Instead, expect
to see fallable flesh and blood human beings
seething with energy, passion, error, excess, and
bawdy humor and you get the picture. In the
words of the director himself, “I am interested in
the relationship of the lower part of the human
body and the lower part of the social structure.”
With over 16 films spanning his whole career, the
series screens from Oct. 26 – Nov. 11. Northwest
Film Forum at 1515 – 12th Ave. (206) 329-2629.
www.nwfilmforum.org
“East Looks West: Two Japanese Film Classics”
is the title of a series highlighting a pair of films
intended to complement the Seattle Art Museum
exhibition, “Japan Envisions the West: 16th – 19th
Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum.”
On Nov. 6, they will screen Shohei Imamura’s
“Eijanaika (Why Not?)” about the collapse of
Francois Girard’s (“The Red Violin”) latest film the Tokugawa period and how it affected the
entitled “Silk” is a romantic drama of East meets common people. On Nov. 13, Nagisa Oshima’s
West. A French trader sends a young military “Gohatto,” a film about how a militia of samurai
officer to Japan in search of the world’s finest silk. attempts to defend the crumbling shogunate after
Koji Yakusho is in the international cast. Now the arrival of Admiral Perry is shown. Showtime
for both films is 7:30 p.m. at Seattle Art Museum’s
screening at several Seattle theatres.
Plestcheeff Auditorium. (206) 654-3121.
Some of the new films coming to the Neptune
Theatre include the following. Neten Chokling’s
“Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint” tells the
story of Tibet’s most revered poet. From Bhutan.
Screens Nov. 2. On Nov. 16 comes Justin Lin’s
(“Better Luck Tomorrow”) “Finishing The
Game” which looks at the competition that took
place to find Bruce Lee’s successor for the film
he never finished ironically titled, “The Game of
Death.” 4329 University Way NE (206) 781-5755.
*“Family Science: An Inconvient Truth” will help
children understand the science of climate change.
Lisa Shimizu of KEXP 90.3FM and The Climate
Project present a slide show for children 8 – 12.
This presentation formed the basis for Al Gore’s
award-winning film. Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. & 1:30
p.m. Free for kids 12 and under. No kids admitted
without adults. Town Hall’s downstairs theatre.
(800) 838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com
*The theme of “Global Concerns, Human
Rights On Film” pervades the fall season at
the Portland Art Museum’s NW Film Center.
If you missed Steven Okazaki’s documentary
film on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki when it aired on cable, you can see it
here. *“White Light/Black Rain” screens Oct. 11
at 7 p.m. On Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Yoshimitsu Banno’s
“Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster” (Japan 1971)
is screened. A sci-fi film that projects the future?
Another film that debuted at SIFF was Seattle Here we encounter a monster who eats pollufimmaker John Jeffcoat’s look at global economy tion and defecates cancer upon the community.
and cross-cultural romance in “Outsourced” Sound familiar? 1219 Park Ave. in Portland. (503)
which opens nationwide on Sept. 28. A 221-1156. www.nwfilm.org
“Hula Girls” is a new Japanese film based on a
true story about a stagnant mining town in the
far north that stumbled upon the idea of turning
their town into a Hawaiian village complete with
hula dancing as a tourist draw. It’s directed by
Lee Sang-il. Opens Sept. 21 at the Grand Illusion
Cinema. The film was an official selection of
the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006.
(206) 523-3935.
CLASSIFIEDS
EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT
Administrative Assistant
Award winning non-profit community agency seeks F/T Administrative
Assistant
for
adult
education
and training program. Center for
Career Alternatives Fax: (206) 3229080 E.O.E.www.ccawa.org
Program Coordinator
Statewide domestic violence coalition seeks F/T Program Coordinator
in Seattle or Olympia. To apply, see
www.wscadv.org. No calls please.
Security
WA State Convention & Trade Ctr is
accepting applications for on-call
Security Officer. Must have exp working directly w/ the public & strong
customer svc. skills. Officers are
responsible for the safety & security
of the facility, property & occupants.
Requires HS diploma or GED and at
least 1 yr security officer exp. May
work 0-40 hrs/wk.
Visit www.wsctc.com for further info
or to download an app. Apps are
also available at the WSCTC Service
Entrance, 9th and Pike, Mon-Fri, 8a5p. Apps must be completed for consideration. Jobline: (206) 694-5039.
EOE.
Systems Administrator
$29.98 to $37.48/hour
Plus Excellent Benefits
Ensure the smooth and secure operation of the Seattle City Council’s systems and servers, including Windows
2003 and NetWare.
Create and
execute project plans for upgrades
and installations, architect and deploy
enterprise business solutions, and
implement server software and hardware configurations. Directly support 100 employees, including 9 City
Council members. Requires three
years of experience supporting multiple servers and systems, plus two
years of experience providing direct
user support, and either a bachelor’s
degree in a related field, or additional
experience. Expertise with NetWare,
GroupWise, ZenWorks, IIS, PC imaging, VMWare, Heat, HTML, and ASP is
highly desirable. For more information
and an Online Application Form, visit
www.seattle.gov/jobs by 9/25/07. The
City is an Equal Opportunity Employer
that values diversity in the workforce.
Vietnamese Case Manager/
Case Manager Assessor
Perform skilled Case Management
assessment and development service
plans to elders and adults with disabilities. Requires MA in Behavioral or
Health Sciences and one year in social
services experience or BA and 4 years
of experience or BA in Behavioral1
Science and 2 years in social services. Able to speak Vietnamese and
English.
FREELANCERS
WANTED
International
seeks
ers.
and
Examiner
freelance
Submit
writing
writ-
resume/bio
samples
to
[email protected] or fax
(206) 624-3046.
Sept. 19 - Oct. 2, 2007 —— 19
EMPLOYMENT
Are you ready for WaMu? We’re
now hiring for Financial Analyst.
Are you ready for WaMu? We’re now
hiring for Financial Analyst.
Uses SAS and SQL to perform
credit modeling on mortgage credit
losses, default probability, default
cost, & prepayment. Requires MA/
MS in Finance, Econ or Math + 2
yrs exp in mgte industry, using SAS
& SQL to perform credit modeling
on mtge credit losses, default probability, default cost, & prepayment;
managing dev’t of statistical models
for mgte mkt & mgte products; providing analytical studies of issues
related to credit risk mgmt. Position
in Seattle, WA incl competitive salary & outstanding benefits.
Uses SAS, Excel, Oracle to develop/
maintain Operational Risk Capital
model to determine regulatory &
economic capital. Requires MA/MS
in Finance, Bus Admin, Bus Mgmt
+ 2 yrs exp using SAS to perform
econ capital analysis for financial institution, incl cost of capital,
RAROC & SVA, logistic regression
modeling, predictive modeling using
performance & credit bureau data
for cust selection & mktg; implementing Basel II req’s for portfolio
mgmt; using risk quantification to
drive internal behaviors & make bus
decisions. Position in Seattle, WA
incl competitive salary & outstanding benefits.
Please
apply
online
at
www.wamu.com/careers referencing Job #441186.
Please
apply
online
at
www.wamu.com/careers referencing
job # 441397.
Washington Mutual is an equal
opportunity employer. We embrace
differences, welcome diversity, and
value a culture of respect.
Are you ready for WaMu? We’re
now hiring for Management Analyst.
Uses MS Access to design and
maintain database infrastructure for
management data. Req MA/MS in
Bus Adm, Fin, MIS + 2 yrs exp using
MS Access to design & maintain
DB infrastructure for mgmt data;
implementing rptg req’s using SQL
& Excel; using statistical techniques,
incl regression analysis using SAS, to
provide analytical support. Position
in Seattle, WA includes competitive
salary and outstanding benefits.
Please
apply
online
at
www.wamu.com/careers referencing
Job #441396.
Visit our website:
www.iexaminer.org
CALENDAR
Friday, Sept. 21
• BAYAN-USA Chapter will commemorate
the 35th Anniversary of Philippine Martial
Law with a community event. 6:30 p.m. at
Bethany Church of Christ, 6230 Beacon
Ave. S., Seattle. Dinner will be served,
followed by presentations featuring information on the global Philippine struggle
for independence and against political
repression. Anakbayan Seattle will host an
after-party for high-school and college-age
students entitled “Fire for the People!” at
Hidmo Eritrean Restaurant, 2000 Jackson
St. at 10 p.m. Contact: Chel Cendana
at (206) 855-6690, [email protected];
www.bayanusa.org.
• Han Woo-Ri Northwest Korean Sports and
Cultural Festival runs through Sunday, Sept.
23 at Han Woo-Ri Village, The Commons,
Federal Way. Han Woo-Ri features all things
Korean, including contemporary and traditional performing arts, exhibits, sports,
games and food. This year’s theme centers
on technology and youth, key elements of
the new “Korean Wave.” Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m.,
opening Night Gala. Sept. 22, 10 a.m. – 6
p.m.; Sept. 23, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. (special evening performances at 7 p.m.) Free, except
for opening gala. (253) 835-6868.
www.hanwoorifestival.net
Saturday, Sept. 22
• Denise Louie Education Center 7th
Annual Jazz Night Dinner and Auction at
Showbox Sodo, 1700 First Ave. S. 6 p.m.
www.deniselouie.org.
• The National Federation of Filipino
American Associations (NAFFAA) is holding its Third Regional Conference. The
theme is “Filipino Americans in the Pacific
Northwest: Toward Positive Changes, an
Intergenerational Approach.” White River
Amphitheatre on the Muckleshoot Indian
Reservation. 40601 Auburn Enumclaw Road
Auburn. Adults $35, Young Professionals
$20. Seniors and Students Free. 7:30 a.m.
- 5 p.m. (360) 825-6200.
• The International Family Center (IFC) at
Chinese Information and Service Center
(CISC) will hold their second annual
Community API Health Fair from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. at CISC. International Community
Health Services (ICHS) and the Washington
State API Hepatitis B Task Force are collaborating with CISC’s IFC to host this free
public health fair. 611 S. Lane St., Seattle.
For information: Chinese/English: (206)
624-5633 x 4151. Vietnamese/English:
(206) 624-5633 x 4152.
Tuesday, Sept. 25
• WAPIFASA’s second annual Bowl-A-Thon!
Register and sign up for teams. Acme Lanes,
Tukwila. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Contact Greg at
WAPIFASA (206) 223-9578.
Saturday, Sept. 29
• 2007 Kin On Auction Dinner Dance.
“Celebrating with Kin On,” silent and live
auction. Contact Rani Cheung at (206) 7213630 x128 or e-mail [email protected].
• Filipino American Educators of
Washington (FAEW) Annual WelcomeBack-To-School Celebration this year to
be held at the new Cleveland High School
on Beacon Hill. All are welcome to attend!
Families and students of all levels, K-12
and beyond! Learn about resources to
assist everyone in becoming successful in
school! 8:30 a.m. to noon. Call (206) 3298959, Lauren Divina, e-mail divinaseattle@
comcast.net.
Tuesday, Oct. 2
• Gandhi Jayanti, the 138th Birth Anniversary
of Mahatma Gandhi, will be celebrated as
an awareness and fundraising event at the
Governor’s mansion in Olympia by the
India Association of Western Washington
(IAWW). This is for the first time the
IAWW is organizing a fundraising event
in its 24 years of history. The raised funds
will support programs and services for the
youth and seniors in the community for
the next year. Governor Christine Gregoire
has been scheduled to address the community in the event where key members
of the East Indian community from all over
the State will be present. (206) 330-8512;
[email protected]; www.iaww.org.
Saturday, Oct. 6
• Blaine Memorial United Methodist
Church Benefit Bazaar: Silent auction,
sushi food, udon, desserts, crafts, exhibits,
tumble bus for children. Silent Auction
will include a Frank Fujii original painting
& Seahawks Tickets and much more. One
half of the proceeds will be donated to the
Brooks/Shaw Temple UMC in New Orleans
to help the continued needs of Kartrina victim families and children. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
3001 24th Ave. S., Seattle.
Announcements
• Interested in Learning Vietnamese?
Helping Link is offering a 10-week course
in Vietnamese as a Second Language (VSL).
Beginning Oct. 1 through Dec. 5, this class
will provide a thorough introduction to the
sounds and structure of the Vietnamese
language specifically tailored to the needs of
people with little or no previous exposure
to the language. Classes run every Monday
& Wednesday. 6 - 8 p.m. $400 Phone: (206)
781-4246; E-mail: [email protected]
om. www.helpinglink.org.
• The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall
Replacement Program is hosting public
scoping meetings to discuss the proposed
design from South Holgate to South King
streets, which would replace more than 40
percent of the viaduct. WSDOT and FHWA
want to hear from you about what issues
should be considered in the environmental
assessment. Project engineers will be onhand to answer questions and to get your
feedback on construction activities. Dates
are: Sept. 24 from 5-8 p.m. at the Starbucks
Support Center, Third Floor (2401 Utah Ave.
S.) and Sept. 26 from 5-8 p.m. at Madison
Middle School, Cafeteria (3429 45th Ave.
SW) Contact [email protected], or call
our AWV hotline: 1-888-AWV-LINE.

3418 - The International Examiner

Transcription

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