Events in the Case of Wen Ho Lee
September 28, 2000
March 8, 1999: The Energy Department fires computer scientist Wen Ho Lee from Los Alamos National Laboratory, in connection with a three-year espionage investigation about alleged disclosure of sensitive nuclear missile technology to China in the 1980s. Lee denies providing secrets to anyone.
April 10, 1999: FBI agents search Lee’s home, hauling away boxes of evidence in their investigation into whether nuclear weapons secrets were leaked to China.
Aug. 1, 1999: Lee, in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, said it was common practice for scientists to transfer secret information from classified to unclassified computers. He said he is innocent.
Dec. 10, 1999: After hearing evidence for several months, a grand jury in Albuquerque, N.M., issues a 59-count indictment accusing Lee of removing nuclear secrets from a secured Los Alamos computer. Lee is arrested.
Dec. 13, 1999: U.S. Magistrate Don Svet rules that releasing Lee on bail would pose a “clear and present danger to the national security of the United States.”
Dec. 20, 1999: Lee sues the FBI and the Justice and Energy departments, alleging they violated his privacy and wrongly portrayed him as a Chinese spy.
Dec. 29, 1999: U.S. Judge James Parker denies bail for Lee, citing seven missing computer tapes filled with the nation’s nuclear secrets and possible “enormous harm” to the country if the fired scientist is freed.
Feb. 15, 2000: Nov. 6 trial date set for Lee.
Feb. 29, 2000: Federal appeals court denies Lee’s request for bail, saying that if the missing tapes fell into the wrong hands, it would “change the strategic global balance.” Lee’s lawyers say the tapes were destroyed.
April 2000: The government restores security clearance for Lee so he can assist in his defense. He is allowed to travel to secure work areas at the lab in the custody of federal marshals, who keep him in leg restraints.
July 21, 2000: Defense renews bail request.
Aug. 24, 2000: Federal judge agrees to release Lee on $1 million bail.
Wen Ho Lee to Be Released
September 28, 2000
Judge agrees to bail, scientist to be electronically monitored
By Sam Chu Lin & Wire Reports
A federal judge has agreed to $1 million bail for a scientist accused of mishandling U.S. nuclear secrets, saying that releasing Wen Ho Lee-who will be under constant surveillance-won’t compromise the nation’s security.
U.S. District Judge James Parker said on Aug. 24 that the information presented by the government in the case “no longer has the requisite clarity and persuasive character necessary to keep Lee in jail pending his trial.”
Parker, who denied Lee’s second bid for freedom last December, ordered the government finalize conditions for Lee’s release by noon Friday. It would require the 60-year-old Lee to remain at his White Rock home under electronic monitoring and allow federal authorities to inspect his mail and monitor his phone calls.
“He should have been released long ago,” commented Mark Holscher, one of Lee’s attorneys. “If Judge Parker had been provided a complete record in December, we believe Dr. Lee would not have spent the last eight months in solitary confinement in shackles.”
Brian Sun, the Lee family’s attorney, is taking the news with caution. A prosecutor has announced the government is likely to appeal. If that does happen, the release could be delayed up to two weeks, Sun said.
Lee is charged with 59 counts alleging he transferred restricted data to unsecured computers and tapes at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was fired last year and has been in jail since his arrest Dec. 10. His trial is set for November.
Lee had been denied bail three times. But Parker changed his mind after a hearing last week in which Lee’s lawyers cast doubt on the solidity of the government’s case and just how sensitive the nuclear material was.
“I conclude that there now is a combination of conditions that will reasonably assure the appearance of Dr. Lee as required and the safety of the community and the nation,” Parker wrote in an order.
Lee’s daughter, Alberta Lee, 28, sobbed with relief. “I’m just so happy he’s going to be able to go home, eat his own food, sleep in his own bed,” she said. “It’s the best day in a long time.”
Lee’s attorneys, Holscher and John Cline, said they were pleased and “will do everything in our power to prevent him from being placed in jail again.”
During the hearing, chief prosecutor George Stamboulidis, arguing against Lee’s release, contended Lee could help someone build a bomb or help a country bolster its nuclear program if he is released from jail. “The breadth of the potential harm is so great that … even a reduced risk is too great to take that gamble,” he said.
Holscher, however, said there is no evidence Lee “has the political motivation, the financial motivation or the destructive intent” to do anything harmful with the material he is accused of downloading.
In court, an FBI agent whose testimony was a key in denying bail to Lee previously, acknowledged inaccuracies in his earlier testimony. Moreover, those testifying for Lee said much of the information in question was available in open literature, could not be used to make a bomb and was not even classified secret at the time.
Victor Hwang, managing attorney for the Asian Law Caucus, said: “We’re ecstatic he’s being released. The conditions, while restrictive, are livable restrictions.”
Hwang said he believes Parker picked up on a change in government theories.
“They’ve shifted from the idea of his being a spy to someone who broke the rules in a job search,” Hwang said. “I think what’s been inconsistent is what they’ve charged him with, this mishandling of classified information, and the rhetoric they’ve used to keep him in jail … which is that he could harm the United States.”
Parker this week granted friend-of-the-court status to the caucus and the American Civil Liberties Union to file briefs in support of disclosing any evidence that Lee was singled out for prosecution because of ethnic bias.
California state Assemblyman Mike Honda, who has called for fair treatment and “due process” for Lee, said, “I think the reasoning for Judge Parker’s conclusion should give some assurances to those who have been supporting Dr. Lee.”
Pointing out the similarities between the U.S. government’s treatment of Lee and the World War II internment of Japanese Americans, the San Jose legislator noted that in both cases, “proper procedures have not been followed; sacpegoating seems to be involved; and a government ‘Goliath’ is taking advantage of its size and weight against a ‘David.’”
Under the judge’s plan, Lee could leave home only in the company of at least one attorney, and could go only to court or to the Los Alamos lab to help with his defense. He would be required to telephone federal court offices in Albuquerque twice a day.
The only other person who could live at the home is Lee’s wife, Sylvia. Mrs. Lee could leave only after notifying authorities of where she was going and why and when she would return. Law enforcement agents could search her.
Lee’s children could come for visits arranged with the court and federal law enforcement authorities.
The $1 million bond would be secured by Lee’s property and that of his brother and sister-in-law, Lucky and Patty Lee, and his next-door neighbors, Don and Jean Marshall. Some 15 friends and relatives offered their property as collateral for bail last week. That property, combined with Lee’s own, was worth about $2.2 million, defense attorneys said. This week, however, Alberta Lee said of the bail, “We are covering it ourselves.”
The Marshalls will be Lee’s third-party custodians, and one of them must be present when Lee checks in with court officials by phone twice a day. Marshall said he could not comment on the case, but he added: “We certainly believe he is not involved in espionage.”
Later Marshall told the Associated Press in a telephone interview on Aug. 25 from his home in White Rock, New Mexico, next door to Lee’s one-story, wood-frame home, “Basically, if you are going to be a good friend, you are called on to do things that under other circumstances you would not be involved in.”
Marshall, a colleague and friend for 20 years, described Lee as a gentle man with a sense of humor, a passion for gardening and fishing and a love of classical music and novels. He said he had not talked to Lee in months and that he missed his friend.
Marshall, a scientist for the past 28 years in the top-secret X-Division where Lee also worked, said many of Lee’s neighbors also are looking forward to his return.
“We’re happy that he’s going to be released,” Marshall said. “I’m hoping he will be allowed to work outside in his yard, in his garden. That’s something he really knows how to do.”
Alberta Lee, who lives in San Francisco, flew to Albuquerque, N.M. last weekend. She commented: “The is another example of how the truth is starting to come out. We have innocence and truth on our side. I am sure he will be exonerated.”
But she emphasized the fight is only beginning and help is needed from the community. She pointed out that her father’s attorneys have been assisting their client pro bono, while the federal government is useing all of its power to build its case against him.
“We are in a David-and-Goliath situation,” she said, “and we are going to need all the help we can get.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article. For more information on the Wen Ho Lee case, visit www.wenholee.org or www.usdoj.org.
Multi-Language Web Sites
September 28, 2000
Multi-Language Web Sites
September 28, 2000
The Key to globalizing Asian American businesses
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| Andrew So |
By Ron Chepesiuk
As e-businesses compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace, globalization has become the hottest buzzword. Cyberspace has obliterated borders and interconnected the world, but that hasn’t made doing e-commerce any easier. A host of factors-cultural, political and economic in nature-must be considered. For example, how will a business handle local currency and provide native-language phone service? What does a company need to know about a country’s customs and import-export rules and how its local delivery systems work?
However, the underlying key to globalizing is language. In the future, most consumers won’t be buying products and services from Asian American Web sites if the text and media they use is provided only in English. Internet Data Corp. in Farmington, Mass. predicts that by next year 60 percent of the Internet consumers and 40 percent of e-commerce revenue will come from outside the United States.
And that trend could happen even earlier, according to Global Reach. The San Francisco-based marketing research firm predicts that the number of non-English speakers on the Internet will pass the 50-percent mark sometime this year and that by 2003 half the Web’s content will be in a non-English language.
“It’s easy to see where e-business is headed when you learn that only 60 percent of the e-commerce Web sites of Fortune 100 companies are in English,” said Atsuko Watanabe, a senior
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| Atsuko Watanabe of Admerasia |
executive with Admerasia, a New York City-based Asian American advertising firm that helps companies market their products in the Asian and Asian American communities.
Aware of this trend, many API business leaders are now considering-or are in the process of-building multilingual Web sites.
The Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based AsianEstore.com-an Asian-American e-business that provides Asian music, food, gifts and housewares-targets the Korean, Japanese and Chinese American communities in the United States through its English-language Web site.
Scott Cho, AsianEstore.com’s president and CEO, describes the consumers who visit his Web site as “pretty fluent in English,” explaining “that one of the unique characteristics of Asian Americans is that they read and write English better than they speak it. So they are comfortable with our English-language Web site.”
Cho added, however, that for his business to grow, it will have to expand globally. He plans to hit the Korean and Japanese market in the second quarter of next year, and then expand to China. To that end, the AsianEstore.com will develop partnerships with companies that have the knowledge to tap into the local environment and can translate the company’s Web site content.
“Our strategy will be to globalize in the communities within those countries,” Cho explained. “To do that, we need to consider language and cultural factors. It’s a huge task that will take a lot of budgeting, time and money. In terms of customer relations, we have to do all three languages to make it work.”
e-PAC USA, Inc., which is part of e-PAC International Group, already operates in 23 countries. A packaging business that trades in sewn-goods accessories, e-PAC is now considering a move into the Japanese market, according to Matt Matsuo, the Japanese American owner of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based company.
“Not many people in Japan know English well, so it would be difficult for us to establish a presence there without a Japanese language Web site,” Matsuo explained. “[In general] once an e-business enters a local market in foreign country it has to consider the language.”
Searching for Solutions
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| Fred Lizza of Idiom Technology |
What’s involved in giving an Asian American business a multilingual Web presence? Several companies sprang up during the late ’90s to help businesses do that. They include Idiom Technology Inc., Global Sight, International Communications, Uniscape.com and Worldpoint. This business sector is expected to grow at a 50 percent annual rate, according to the market research firm Forrester Research.
“Our company was founded in the belief that most of people on the Internet in the 21st century won’t be able to speak English,” said Fred Lizza, CEO of the Walham, Mass.-based Idiom Technology Inc., which was co-founded in 1998 by two Asian Americans: Ken Shan and Susan Cheng. Today, Shan serves as the company’s chief technology officer, while Cheng has left to attend medical school.
Business has been booming at Idiom. The client list has grown from three in May 1999 to 30 today. Meanwhile, the number of employees has gone from 30 to 110 this year. The staff includes programmers who develop and maintain the technology; globalization and localization experts familiar with the translation process in the context of local factors, such as currency; technical consultants who understand the underlying infrastructure at e-commerce sites; and sales people who sell the company’s software.
Among the company’s clients is Chipshot.com, an Internet retailer of custom golf clubs and apparel that launched a Japanese-specific Web site in May 1999 to attract Japan’s 27 million golfers. The site features a bilingual service representative for Japanese customers and customized technology that allows Japanese golfers to design and order golf clubs built for their individual skills and physique.
“We saw a huge opportunity in Japan, which has a big golf market, and we wanted to go after it,” Nick Mehta, vice president of marketing at Chipshot.com, told InternetWeek.
Chipshot.com uses Idiom’s Worldserver software, which has several components to automate the translation process. Word Manager, for example, will automatically identify Web content that needs to be translated. It will also display the context in which a translated section appears, and it provides a preview of how the text will appear on the foreign site. Another component, WorldTranslator, a browser-based tool, eases communication between editors and translators.
Translating can be a time-consuming process. But Idiom quickened the process by using a technology known as “translation memory,” which has the capability of matching what is being asked to be translated with what has been translated previously.
“Once we translate something, we don’t have to do it again,” Lizza said.
The cost of Idiom’s translation services depends on a company’s specific needs, Lizza explained, adding, “Sure, translating can be an expensive process, but for any business with global aspirations, it’s just something they have to do.”
Published reports indicate that the costs for Idiom’s services range between $100,000 to $300,000. Mehta told Internet Week that, without Wordserver, it would have cost Chipshot.com several hundred thousands of dollars annually and take five full-time workers to program and translate the text.
DragonCities.com- a San Diego, Calif.-based pan-Asian portal featuring local and regional news, cultural content and e-commerce-uses a language translation program offered by WorldPoint, a Honolulu-based company with clients such as AsiaTech Ventures, Dentsu Ltd., Merryl Lynch and M.I.T.’s Media Lab. World Point offers a translation work flow system, an extensive network of 10,000 translators and a 24-hour multilingual consumer support service.
Tuong Nguyen, DragonCities.com’s president and CEO, said WorldPoint’s services were adequate. His company, however, still encounters some typical problems.
While several sophisticated software products are available, they can’t handle the idioms and technical material well.
“When you use the software, the translation doesn’t necessarily come out the way you want it,” Nguyen said. “Computers are only so smart, so the software can’t really translate local slang. That can be a big problem because slang is constantly changing.”
A reliable translation program is vital to Nguyen’s e-business plans. This month DragonCities.com officially launched its site in Chinese and Vietnamese, as well as English. And within the next two months, Nguyen plans to have the text on his Web site in seven languages. Therefore, the company recently decided to develop its own translation program, hiring workers in China and Vietnam to do the translating.
“We hire content providers who live in the local communities we are trying to reach,” Nguyen explained. “They have a better feel for the local community and the people can relate to the text they write.”
It’s cheaper, too. Nguyen explained that “the currency exchange in China and Korea favors the dollar,” so it doesn’t cost as much as it would if they hired a translation service in the United States.
Ron Victor, president and CEO of the San Jose, Calif.-based Homeland Networks Corporation (HLN), believes that Dragoncities.com is handling the language translation issue in a sensible manner. HLN doesn’t have a multi-language Web site because the company focuses on Indian expatriate communities worldwide, including English-speaking areas such as the United States, Hong Kong and Great Britain.
If HLN decides to enter the Indian market, Victor expects that his company will experience language challenges similar to those faced by Dragoncities.com.
“You can’t generalize about India,” Victor explained. ” The country has 26 states, each with their own language and culture. Obviously, we would have to cater to the 26 sub-cultures and that would be a difficult and complicated challenge.”
Another Hurdle: Wireless Technology
Another challenge for Asian American businesses will be to provide multi-language translations via wireless communication. Asia is currently experiencing a boom in wireless phone adoption-by 2003 the number of cell phone users is expected to reach 350 million.
The language translation issue, no doubt, will grow in importance as the global business community moves increasingly toward wireless e-commerce.
The language translation technology that KnowExSolutions Inc., a software development company, allows businesses to communicate in multiple languages. The company has created a device called MAE (Multipoint Access Environment), a wireless development platform with language translation capability.
“Wireless mobile phone users and desktop PC users can use MAE to communicate in different languages,” explained Andrew So, KnowEx founder. “So a person can speak in English and receive messages, say, in Chinese. The receiver can then respond in Chinese, but the original person will receive the message in English.”
The MAE device in now in its “alpha stage,” KnowEx officials reveal, but it will be available for sale to U.S. corporations in three months for use by their employees internally but not for interaction with its customers.
KnowEx is currently concentrating on the romance languages, such as Spanish and Italian, because they are easy to work with. Eventually, however, they plan to incorporate Asian languages into the technology.
Given wireless’s potential in Asia, KnowEx has a marketing strategy for that region. “The point of our wireless products overall is to allow mobile devices to communicate, regardless of the hardware or network,” So said. “Eventually, software will be written for MAE that allows Bluetooth users to speak to Palm users, who can speak to the users of WAP-enabled devices.”
The technology stands to be a hit. Wireless penetration rates are close to 60 percent in South Korea and Hong Kong and 70 percent in Japan. Indeed, data provided by the Telecommunications Carriers Association shows that of the 10 million Japanese who used the Internet for the first time in 1999, 3.67 million chose cell phones to log onto online.
The economic implications are enormous.
Said Brian Gilman, a senior research analyst at 2marketer, a New York City-based multi-lingual advertising network: “Areas of India and China are not properly wired for traditional phone access, but they boast two of the largest phone and cable TV markets in the world, and that alone may cause them to become the Asian Internet powerhouses.”
Business reporter Ron Chepesiuk is based in Rock Hill, SC. He can be reached at 110423.2656@compuserve.com.
Arts & Entertainment Calendar
September 28, 2000
A regional roundup of events of special interest to Asian Americans
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| NORTHERN CALIFORNIA |
ARTS
A Joyful Time The Pacific Bridge Gallery presents the works of Zhang Xiaotao through Sept. 1. (95 Linden St., #6, Oakland. 510-451-8840.)
APAture Kearny Street Workshop presents this exhibit that features works by emerging Asian American artists. The show runs from Sept. 11-30. For more information, call 415-543-0502 or 415-551-1852. (SomArts, 934 Brannan St., San Francisco.)
Asian Artists The d.p. Fong Galleries will present the solo exhibition of Lampo Leong whose artwork intersects Chinese calligraphy with abstract expressionism. A group exhibition of works by Zijian Liu, Jin Zhang, Qingji Wei, Yu Zhang and Binghui Yan, as well as animal portraits by Raymond Hu, will also be on display. (383 South First St., San Jose. 408-298-8877.)
F Stop The Aguirre Gallery will present an exhibit featuring four Bay Area photographers, Michelle Casciolo, Cheng-Chin Lin, Rebecca Martinez and Luis Delgado Qualtrough. The exhibit runs through Sept. 9. Gallery hours are Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (480 E. 4th Ave., San Mateo. 650-373-4900.)
Jamex + Einar De La Torre The blown glass and mixed media pieces of the De la Torre brothers examine the cultural gray areas that exist in bordertowns and in the amalgamation of different cultures in urban areas. The exhibit, The Mexican Problem continues a critical discourse that explore the spaces between the dense, diverse communities of San Francisco. From Sept. 6-Oct. 14. Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon-5 p.m.; Tuesdays by appointment. (Intersection, 446 Valencia St., San Francisco. 415-626-2787.)
Mail Order Brides The San Francisco Arts Commission Chinatown Community Arts Program presents this showcase of visual art through Sept. 30. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 415-957-1146. (Chinatown Community Program Gallery, Holiday Inn, 750 Kearny St., 3rd floor, San Francisco.)
Mandala: the architecture of enlightenment This exhibit is a stunning collection of more than 40 mandalas-visions of paradise as it exists within Tantric Buddhist belief-and related works dating from the 15th century onward as it evolved across Asia. Runs through Sept. 17. Museum hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursdays 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (University of California Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. 510-642-0808.)
Michiko Kon, Still Lifes This summer the first major U.S. exhibition of photographs by Kon will be shown at the San Jose Museum of Art. Her dreamlike vision transforms organic matter-beetles, fish heads, eyes, chicken feet-into photographic compositions of exquisite delicacy and technical precision. The exhibit runs through Oct. 1. (110 South Market St., San Jose. 408-271-6840.)
Printed Convictions The Mexican Museum will present a retrospective of the work of Juan Sanchez through Sept. 17. The solo exhibition will highlight 48 pieces that address the challenge Puerto Ricans face in examining their identities in the United States. (The Mexican Museum, Fort Mason Center, Bldg. D, San Francisco. 415-202-9700.)
Small Wonders Chinese snuff bottles from Bay Area collectors will be on display at the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco through Oct. 8. Admission is free. Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Holiday Inn, 750 Kearny St., 3rd floor, San Francisco. 415-986-1822.)
The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco offers visitors a rare glimpse of nearly 240 startling discoveries unearthed in China, including an array of jades, bronze sculptures and ornate silver and gold vessels. The exhibition runs through Sept. 11. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-668-8928.)
Thor gerlach Gallery 101 presents the works of one of San Francisco’s best modern artists, Thor Gerlach, to emerging collectors. Gerlach’s most recent oil paintings will be on view through Sept. 30 by appointment only. For more information, call Charmaine at 415-642-1832. (720 York St., Studio 101, San Francisco.)
Truth and Lies The Triton Museum of Art presents this exhibit, which examines ways in which artists from diverse background analyze the world. Dianne Way investigates how society’s ignorance of pain creates racism with corrupted images of Native Americans. Rabbett Strickland’s Ojibwe background is the starting point for his art, with employs the classical techniques of Michelangelo, Rubens and Caravaggio. John Yoyogi Fortes uses images of family and home to depict the complexities of memories. The exhibit runs through Oct. 15. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara. 408-247-3754.)
Wayne Thiebaud The California Palace of the Legion of Honor presents the a retrospective of works by Thiebaud in celebration of the artist’s 80th birthday. The exhibit runs through Sept. 3. (California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Golden Gate Park, 75 Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. 415-750-3614.)
DANCE
Opening Gala The Diablo Ballet presents the West Coast premiere of Touched choreographed by Houston Ballet’s Trey McIntyre and set to the music of Dave Brubeck. The company will also perform Balanchine’s Apollo, and Pas de Quatre et Pas de Six by the company’s associate artistic director Nikolai Kabiniaev. On Sept. 15, 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30-35 and can by purchased by calling 415-978-2787. (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St., San Francisco.)
Rice Women Facing East & Music. an Asian American all female dance company combing modern dance with an Asian Aesthetic and live music will perform Rice Women. Choreographed and directed by Artistic Director Sue Li-Jue, Rice Women traces the evolution of rituals, traditions and stereotypes through three generations of Chinese women. On Sept. 22, 23, 28 and 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15-18 and may be purchased by calling 415-621-7797 or by logging on to www.ticketweb.com. (Theater Artaud, 450 Florida St., San Francisco.)
EVENTS
Celebrating Youth Join thousands of families in this free event honoring San Francisco’s successful children and youth programs that are supported by the Children’s Amendment. The festival includes games and activities provided by the YMCA and S.F. Recreation and Parks. On Sept. 2, 1-4 p.m. (Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco.)
Gateway to Gold Mountain Hosted by the National Park Service, this exhibit chronicles the immigration experience of mostly Asian immigrants who came to the United States through Angel Island Immigration Station between 1910 and 1940. The exhibit, which discusses the attitudes, hopes and fears of immigrants, as well as the discrimination they encountered, runs through Sept. 17, every day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 415-561-4323.
made in the usa, angel island shhh The Kearny Street Workshop and California State Parks, in association with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and Angel Island Association present this exhibit exploring the identity secrets of Chinese immigrants detained and interrogated in the United States through Sept. 23. (Angel Island Immigration Station, Angel Island. 415-543-0520.)
MUSIC
Chinese National Orchestra This 81 piece orchestra will make their West Coast debut on Sept. 10, 7 p.m. The repertory for the evening will range from beloved classical Chinese compositions to an arrangement of Western compositions. A highlight will be the playing of an instrument first created over 3,000 years ago. One of only four replicas made of the ancient bian zhong (bell chimes) unearthed in the Hubei Province of China in the 1970s will be played. Tickets are $35-70 and may be purchased by calling 415-864-6000. (Davies Symphony Hall, Van Ness & McAllister, San Francisco.)
Music in a Movement The Oakland Asian Cultural Center will present of an exhibit that documents musicians who created and recorded music with a pan-Asian sense. The expression broke with negative stereotypes and created an API consciousness. The exhibit runs through September. The center is open on Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 510-208-6080. (Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland.)
The Voice of Kurdistan The best known Kurdish musician in the world, Sivan Perwer will perform on Sept. 3, 6 p.m. Tickets are $18-40. For more information, call 415-391-0367 or 415-242-4085. (Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco.)
READINGS & LECTURES
Angel Island Project Symposium Kearny Street Workshop will sponsor a panel discussion on the history of Chinese immigration and the experience of the Chinese who came through Angel Island. Speakers include: Phil Choy on the legacy of the Chinese immigration experience; Jeff Ow on “paper son politics”; Helen Owyoung, niece of a 1929 detainee, Suk Wan Lee; Flo Oy Wong, artist; William Wong, moderator; and Judy Young, author. On Sept. 23; 1-4 p.m. (San Francisco Public Library, Larkin & Grove streets, San Francisco. 415-557-4400)
Celebrate the World, the National Poetry Association 25th Anniversary Literary icon Maya Angelou and renowned poet Quincy Troupe are among the featured writers at event on Sept. 2, 8 p.m. “Celebrate the World” will feature readings by Angelou, Troupe, East St. Louis Poet Laureate Eugene Redmond, Oakland writer Guy Johnson and performances by The New Young Poets Slam winners. Presenters for the evening include S.F. Poet Laureate Janice Mirikitani. Tickets are $20-30 and can be purchased by calling 415-392-4400. (Masonic Auditorium, 1111 California St., San Francisco.)
Ron Takaki An acclaimed historian, Takaki will discuss his newest book Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II, which brings together a variety of voices: A Japanese American at an internment camp, a Native American code breaker using Navajo language, a Jewish corporal fighting Hitler, a Mexican American woman was took advantage of the job opportunities that opened during the war. On Sept. 6, 7 p.m. For more information, call 510-548-2350. (Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave., Berkeley.)
The Incas Join the S.F. Public Library in marking Hispanic Heritage Month with a lecture by anthropologist David Matsuda on the Inca people and culture of ancient Mesoamerica. In the short span of 125 years, the Inca conquered and ruled over the western half of ecological zones through military conquest, economic tribute and agriculture innovation. On Sept. 7, 6-7:30 p.m. (Larkin & Grove streets, San Francisco. 415-557-4400.)
THEATER
Eating It The San Francisco Mime Troupe presents this musical satire set in the immediate future that brings together the creators of “Super Corn,” a genetically enhanced vegetable, protestors at a world food conference, and time travel. On Sept. 2, 3, 4 at 2 p.m. for more information, call 415-285-1717. (Delores Park, 18th & Delores, San Francisco.)
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| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
ARTS
EugÉne Atget in Paris The J. Paul Getty Museum presents this enthralling and highly personal visual guide to Paris crated by photographer Atget will run from June 20-Oct. 8. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (1200 Getty Center Dr., Suite 400, Los Angeles.)
Migration of Faith Tibetan Buddhist art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection, featuring 23 rare manuscripts and paintings, will be on display through Sept. 4. Admission is $7. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-857-6000.)
Shifting Perceptions This art exhibit challenges the preconceived notions of an artist’s production based on their ethnicity will be on display through Oct. 29 at Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., San Marino, 626-449-2742; and at the Pasadena Historical Museum, 470 W. Walnut, 626-577-1660.
EVENTS
Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture This 9th annual event presented by the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture will be hosting its first vegetable growing contest. Prizes will be awarded to the best bittermelon, squash, eggplant, string beans, upo and patola. On Sept. 10, 10 a.m. Admission if free. For more information, call 213-389-3050. (Senior’s Village, Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro.)
Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture With the theme of “We are Brothers and Sisters,” this 9th annual weekend event will feature crafts, a poetry slam contest, food and live performances. On Sept, 9-10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 213-389-3050. (Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro.)
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| REST OF THE WEST |
ARTS
Mountain Patterns: Survival of Nuosu Culture in China Patterned clothing, silver jewelry and lacquered wood utensils will be on display at this exhibit featuring the handiwork of the mountain-dwelling Nuosu people of Southwestern China. The exhibit runs through Sept. 4; admission is $2.50-5.50. (Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, NE 45th St. and 17th Ave., University of Washington, Seattle. 206-543-7907.)
Sheer realities The Seattle Asian Art Museum will present an exhibition of 19th century Philippine clothing through Oct. 8. Included in the collection of 200 items are textiles, jewelry, oil paintings and photographs. Gallery hours are Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park. 206-654-3100.)
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ARTS
The ARt of the Horse in Chinese History The Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse will present an exhibit of 300 Chinese artifacts, including one of the largest collections of the Tang Dynasty’s (618-907 AD) tri-colored porcelain equestrian and court figures ever shown outside of China. The exhibit runs through Aug. 31, 9 a.m.-6p.m. daily. Admission is $16 for adults, $11 for youth. (4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington. 606-233-4303.)
FILM
Asian Film Festival Crane House, The Speed Art Museum and Tricon Global Restaurants present this 3rd annual event to be held Sept. 15-24. Highlights include screenings of After Life, Earth, Ermo, Shower and 301/302. All films have English subtitles. For schedule information, call 502-459-2288. (Baxter Avenue Theatres, 1250 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, Ky.)
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ARTS
Chinese Cloisonné The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum’s collection of this art form is one of the largest outside of China. An exhibit of the works will be on display through Dec. 31. Hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $4. For more information, call 413-263-6800. (The Springfield Museums, 220 State St., Springfield, Ma.)
Daido Moriyama The poignant and beautiful work made in the gritty streets of postwar Tokyo by photographer Moriyama are presented in the Fogg Art Museum through Nov. 5. The exhibition includes nearly 200 black-and-white images that examine the ambiguous relationship of postwar Japanese society to Western and particularly American influences in its larger cultural context. (Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.)
Dancing Demons Presented by Asia Society, this exhibit of ceremonial masks of Mongolia runs through Sept. 17. (502 Park Ave., New York City.)
Face to Face On view at New York University’s Grey Gallery from Sept. 15-Oct. 28 is this exhibition of some 250 prints, photographs, advertisements and magazines that documents the history of Japanese beauty products manufacturer Shiseido. (Grey Art Gallery, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY. 212-998-6780.)
Japanese Renaissance Master The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents this exhibit of works by Hon’ami Koetsu. Included will be calligraphy, printed books, ceramics and lacquerwork. On display through Oct. 29. For more information, call 215-763-8100. (Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia.)
Paintings and Prints by Roger Shimomura The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History presents an installation of paintings that illustrates entries from Shimomura’s grandmother’s diaries remembering her Japanese American camp internment experiences. The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 4. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call 202-357-2700. (14th St. and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.)
EVENTS
Asian Pacific Heritage Week at the University of Pennsylvania This premier event celebrating API heritage and culture, aims to foster an atmosphere of understanding and dialogue, both inside and outside the API student body, to promote an awareness of the community beyond stereotypes. The keynote speaker is Rick Yune, Wharton graduate turned Versace model and actor most recently seen in Snow Falling on Cedars. Oct. 28-Nov. 4. For more information, call 215-898-3357.
HK Designers on 7th on Sixth For the first time Hong Kong designers are showing their collections during New York Fashion Week. Organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, a group show, featuring the designs of Barney Cheng, Flora Cheong-Leen, Joanna Chu-Liao and Joseph Yi, will be staged in the Bryant Park Studio on Sept. 16, 11 a.m.
FILM
John Woo-Hong Kong Style This seven-film series pays tribute to the master stylist of ultra violent gangster films with remarkably choreographed gun play and wild action sequences. On Saturdays through Sept. 30. Tickets are $8.50. For more information, call 718-636-4157. (BAM Rose Cinemas, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
THEATER
Boonah, come downSeinenza Theatre Company presents this internationally acclaimed play that depicts the hopes and dreams of a tree frog in order to remind audiences of their spiritual values. Presented in Japanese with simultaneous translation. Performances on Sept. 29, Oct. 3-5 at 7 p.m.; and Sept. 30, Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling 212-772-4448. (The Kaye Playhouse, Hunter College, 68th Street between Park & Lexington, New York City.)
Middle Finger The Ma-Yi Theater Company under the direction of Ralph Pena, present this play, which follows the lives of two teenage Filipino American boys in a rigidly structured Catholic boys’ school. Runs Sept. 14-Oct. 1. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $19 and can be purchased by calling, 212-581-8896. (Blue Heron Arts Center, 123 East 24th St., New York City.)
Business Calendar
September 28, 2000
Career
Fall Career Nights University of California, Santa Cruz will offer free sessions to explore certificate programs that lead to new career opportunities in the months of August and September. Topics will include e-business, VLSI design, environmental health and safety, teaching English as a Second Language, educational therapy and early childhood education. For more information, call 1-800-660-8639 or visit www.ucsc-extension.edu.
Job Searching on the Internet This workshop sponsored by the S.F. Main Library will tell you how to find a job using Internet resources. On Sept. 27, 1:45-4 p.m. Free tickets are required and are available at the Main Library Information Desk. (Larkin & Grove streets, San Francisco. 415-557-4400.)
The San Francisco Bay Area Women’s Conference Spend the day learning practical tools for building your career. Topics covered include: verbal skills that persuade, influence and empower, coping with difficult people, real-world strategies for boosting your earning power, and stress relief at work and home. On Oct. 4, Center Concord, 5298 Clayton Rd., Concord; on Oct. 5, Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, 1500 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco; and on Oct. 6, Wyndham Garden, 1350 N. First St., San Jose. The cost is $149. To enroll, call 1-800-873-7545 or log on to www.skillpath.com.
Education
Accelerated Undergraduate Business Degrees Holy Names College will be offering free information session on this new program designed for working adults. The accelerated five and eight week class formats allow adults to complete their degrees in less time than traditional semester-based classes. All programs are WASC accredited. Classes start every five weeks throughout the year. To learn more, attend one of the following sessions: Sept. 7, 19; Oct. 5. All sessions begin at 6 p.m. Call Gail at 510-436-1123 to reserve a space. (Holy Names College, Hester Conference Room, first floor, Hester Bldg., 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland.)
Finance
Counseling Sessions Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)offers free business counseling sessions from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27. To schedule an appointment with a SCORE counselor, call their office at 415-744-6827. (San Francisco Public Library, Larkin & Grove streets, San Francisco. 415-557-4400.)
Investment Seminar Dana C. Gop, a PaineWebber financial advisor, provides a program on investments and investment strategies for individuals and businesses through stocks, bonds, mutual funds, unit investment trusts, variable annuities and certificate of deposits, on Sept. 19, 7 p.m. The program is free. For more information, call 626-307-1368. (Friends Room, Bruggemeyer Memorial Library, 318 Ramona Ave., Monterey Park.)
Labor
Disposable Domestics Grace Change discusses her book Disposable Domestics: Immigrant Women Workers in the Global Economy, which sets out to show that women who perform the least desirable work are the most crucial to our economy and society; yet, they are the most vulnerable and exploited workers. Chang dismantles recent arguments in favor of curbing immigration. On Oct. 21, 7 p.m. (Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave., Berkeley.)
Technology
Computer Classes Free after-school computer classes for low-income children in the Tenderloin, Mission, Chinatown and Western Addition are available through the Career Resources Development Center in San Francisco. (For more information, call 415-775-8880.)
Computer classes Low-cost computer classes offered day and evening. Classes include Intro to PC, Youth Computer Lab, Internet, MS/Word, Access, Excel, A+. Train to be a Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA). For more information, call Raymond or Mike at 415-441-1884. (Intercultural Institute of California, San Francisco.)
Computer Training The San Francisco Public Library offers tech classes throughout the month of September. Hands-on Training for Beginning Internet on Sept. 6, 13, 1:45-4 p.m. Hands-on Training for Intermediate Internet on Sept 20., 1:45-4 p.m. Internet Basic Training on Sept 20, 6-7 p.m. Free tickets are required and may be picked up at the Main Library’s Information Desk. (San Francisco Public Library, Larkin & Grove streets, San Francisco. 415-557-4400.)
Introductory Internet Class Learn the basics of the Internet: the parts of a Netscape or Internet Explorer window, what a URL is , and how to search the Internet in this free class on Sept. 6, 7 p.m. (Bruggemeyer Memorial Library, 318 S. Ramona Ave., Monterey Park.)
The Shattered Ceiling
September 28, 2000
Q&A with Phil Nash
Aside from writing a weekly column for AsianWeek, Phil Nash is the founder and CEO of Campaign Advantage (www.campaignadvantage.com), which creates Web sites for politicians. In this one-on-one interview, he talks about his vision to move political campaigns into the Internet arena.
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| Phil Tajitsu Nash |
Age: 43
Background: Born in New York City and raised in suburban Maywood, N.J. His mother is a second-generation Japanese American and his father is 13th generation English-Irish-Scottish American. Spent many years in New York City before moving to Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., where he presently resides.
Education: B.A. in Urban Design Studies and Economics from New York University. J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law.
Annual salary (from Campaign Advantage): $100,000. However, much of that gets reinvested back into the company.
AsianWeek: How did you get the idea to merge politics with high- tech?
Phil Nash: I originally started doing work in the high-tech sector because teaching and doing public interest law are fun and challenging-but don’t pay much. After many years of keeping my high -tech and public service interests separate (pro bono legal services and teaching by day, and freelance work for tech companies on nights and weekends), I realized that the 2000 election was a perfect time to merge my two worlds. Candidates and causes I cared about were not getting online fast enough or well enough.
AW: From the time you initially thought of the idea for Campaign Advantage, how long did it take you to start the company?
Nash: My wife, Emi Ireland, had a friend who was getting ripped off by her boss, and it pained us that we couldn’t help her. At that point, we decided that we should stop being contractors and start being our own bosses.
In 1997 we formally incorporated as Science Writers, Inc., and pretty soon we had 14 employees and half-million-dollar contracts. It took a while for all of the procedures and processes to fall into place, and we still consider ourselves a start-up in some respects. In mid-1999, with the 2000 elections coming, we set up an online campaign division of our company and called it Campaign Advantage. A few ads, a few happy customers, and a few dollars later, we are on the map as Web developers for progressive candidates and causes.
AW: Explain the mission of the company.
Nash: Campaign Advantage develops Web sites and online fund-raising tools for candidates, causes and nonprofits. Emi and I also wrote a book, Winning Campaigns Online, to teach our clients and the broader public how to use the Internet effectively.
AW: Who are some of your clients?
Nash: We created the Web site for Ralph Nader, and created a site for Democratic leader Rep. Dick Gephardt that recently was recognized by Campaigns and Elections magazine as the Web site with the best political content on the web today.
While our recent specialty is helping incubators create Web sites for start-ups, we also have union clients and have created several highly visible Asian American Web sites.
AW: What are you in charge of at Campaign Advantage?
Nash: As CEO, I handle everything from hiring, finance and legal issues-to meet-and-greets. But I also enjoy getting involved in the coding and writing of the Web sites.
AW: How many employees do you have?
Nash: At one point we had 14 people on payroll, but in this fluid economy it’s better to have a smaller core staff and hire others as needed. We have several people we work with in the D.C. area, but also have met good workers via the Internet. In fact, I can honestly say that my company works 24-7, because when we send an assignment to our colleague in Australia, he works while we sleep.
AW: How much money did it take to start the company?
Nash: It’s hard to calculate that because there are so many tangible as well as intangible costs. We invested well over $100,000 to get hardware and software, and had to forego income for a while.
AW: Is the company currently profitable?
Nash: Like most Internet start-ups, we are making money but plowing it back into the company. We have clients who pay tens of thousands for their Web sites and others whose sites we do basically for free because we believe in them. In our best year, we had over a half million in sales.
AW: How is the Internet affecting the way politicians campaign currently? What will its effects be in the future?
Nash: Politicians are slow to get on the Internet, and are still treating their Web sites as a brochure in the sky. Younger staffers get it more than the career politicians do, so the real effect of interactivity is still a few years away. Eventually, the Internet will revolutionize the way we get information, vote, and interact, just as it has revolutionized the way we do business.
AW: Where do you see the company in five years?
Nash: Campaign Advantage will be a major player in developing Web sites and online fund-raising solutions for progressive politicians, causes and nonprofits. We will get even more into training, and will help other companies spin off so that every progressive group and candidate can mount an effective Web-based campaign, no matter what their budget.
AW: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Nash: I will still be writing, teaching and participating in civil rights issues. This company is just another vehicle for my civil rights work, but I do enjoy the challenge of running a company and learning about the business world while doing so.
AW: What will be the major technological development in the next ten years? And how will it affect society?
Nash: The merger of the media and entertainment titans is a frightening development, which not enough people are taking heed of. And increasing bandwidth will allow streaming movies and audio to enter our home computers more easily, which then has the potential to make us even more passive and controlled than we are now.
Also, too many individuals and nonprofit groups give away their personal information online, not realizing the potential for their privacy to be compromised. That’s why I am helping progressive candidates, causes and non-profits to get onto the Internet. If they do not understand and get involved in the issues, the Internet will not remain open and accessible for everyone.
AW: Anything else you want to add?
Nash: Everyone should start their own company. Do it while you are making a salary somewhere, and then head out on your own. Don’t wait until it’s too late and you are left with a would-a, should-a, could-a situation.
Being your own boss is exhilarating but also frightening. You first must address your own demons, and your own issues about control and cooperation. Being a good manager actually makes you better aware of the needs of others, and, if you are open to it, actually makes you a better team player.
Too many of our best Asian American entrepreneurs are staying in the nonprofit world because it seems safer there. But we must not be afraid of failure, and must get past the dichotomized view that nonprofits are saintly and corporate folks are compromised. People with nonprofit hearts should jump headfirst into the corporate world and learn how to marshal the talent and money there to make this a more humane world.
Demo Influence Slipping on Splits
September 28, 2000
By Samson Wong
Generally, the S.F. Democratic County Central Committee splits 16 to 14 between pro-mayor/establishment Democrats and the pro-Ammiano/reform Democrats.
The split was reflected on two office development measures. Proposition K, the office development ordinance authored by the mayor and put on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors, passed 17 to 12 on the Central Committee. At the same time, the committee also rejected by a vote of 16 to 3 the rival slow growth initiative sponsored by Sue Hestor and Calvin Welch, with the support of Board President Tom Ammiano. The pro-mayor/establishment wing prevailed on those two measures. However, without the votes of seven state and federal elected officials, the mayor’s Proposition K would have lost 12 to 10 among the elected county committee members, while Hestor/Welch’s Proposition L would have won 13 to 9.
NOT SO SOLID SEVEN: It’s that solidarity of six of the seven votes (except for Feinstein) that combined with pro-Brown votes elected attorney Alex Wong, who became the first Asian Pacific American Chair of the S.F. Democratic Party.
However, the state and federal officials votes showed the fragility of the 16-14 split. In the Aug. 19 round of voting, the party endorsed School Board candidate Eric Mar and Filipina American Christine Gaddhi for College Board. Mar edged out incumbent Board President Mary Hernandez 16 to 15 for one of four endorsement spots. Gaddhi won 14 to 13 the final College Board slot over dentist and former mayoral commissioner Justin Tin.
Their endorsements open the possibility that three APIs may sit on three major elective citywide bodies-School Board, College Board, and Board of Supervisors-for the first time.
Mar was supported by fellow reform members of the county committee members, but also picked up establishment defections from Feinstein, Shelley, along with Filipina county committee member Rebecca Delgado.
Gaddhi herself won the votes of reformers but was helped again by Delgado. Representatives for Feinstein, Russell Lowe and Jackie Speier, could have provided critical winning votes for rival Justin Tin, but abstained.
When all seven aren’t in accord, their votes can be crucial with city propositions. For example, Supervisor Michael Yaki’s alternative go-slow closure of Golden Gate Park on Saturdays only could muster a 13-13 deadlock with reform and establishment Democrats split. Out of the seven, four only supported it. However, Burton and Feinstein abstained while the representative for Migden was absent and had stepped out the room during the vote. Here again, solidarity among the seven could have provided a winning margin for the Yaki measure.
LOSING THEIR VOICE: Symbolic of the situation, A. Toni Young suffered the embarrassment of losing her voice during her endorsement interview with the S.F. Democratic County Central Committee. Last week’s party rejection of candidates Shawn Richards, Rufus Watkins, and Young increased the chances that African Americans will not be represented on the seven member S.F. School Board, especially with the resignation of Steven Phillips.
The 31-member county committee, which only has one appointed African American, instead endorsed college administrator Stephen Herman, incumbent Jill Wynns, youth center director Mauricio Vela, and immigrant rights attorney Eric Mar.
However, the chances of election could increase with the mayor’s appointment of candidate Shawn Richards to replace Phillips on the School Board. Richards would run as an “incumbent,” which could help. However, that could be a liability considering that he and other incumbent school board members seeking re-election (Mary Hernandez and Jill Wynns) or running for supervisor (Juanita Owens) will have to defend the district that has become a fiscal disaster.
Asian Americans can relate to the same predicament as African Americans. After the 1996 election, both Angie Fa and Leland Yee had left the school board without a single Asian American on the seven member board that represented over 60,000 students that was nearly 40 percent API.
In the November 1996 election campaign, the San Francisco Democratic Party was deadlocked and chose neither Asian American school board candidates Jason Wong, Tom Yuen, or Eddie Chin. The latter eventually won a seat in 1998, while the mayor, who pledged to appoint an APA in 1997, finally appointed City College administrator and his former Assembly aide, Frank Chong, to the school board.
GOT A STICKER TO FRY?: E-mail me at samson@sfindependent.com or potsticker@prodigy.net. Calls accepted at 415-826-1100, ext. 23.
Kaoru’s Bark:Cartoon Relays Internment Experiences to Children
September 28, 2000
By Tom Lee
For years parents and teachers have searched for an appropriate method of relating the World War II Japanese American internment camp experience to children. Textbooks could not bring to life the pains and struggles of the thousands of victims who were incarcerated simply for their ethnicity. Films either provide somber documentaries or glorified romances such as Snow Falling on Cedars-neither of which are appropriate for children.
Independent filmmaker and researcher Sean Morijiro Sunada O’Gara thinks he has a solution. O’Gara was inspired by an elementary school teacher who had called him four years ago, inquiring about interment camp films that would be appropriate for her students. To O’Gara’s dismay, he could not think of one film intended for the young, even though he had just organized a 50-year camp film retrospective in San Francisco.
O’Gara was then determined to produce an animated film about the internment camp experience through the eyes of a child. Aided by a grant from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program (CCLPEP) from the California State Library, O’Gara’s vision became a reality, and his film-a cartoon titled Kaoru’s Bark-is scheduled for broadcast next May.
The cartoon will follow the adventures of a little girl in an internment camp. To pass the time while in camp, Kaoru collects bark from the camp fuel piles to create art. The woodcarvings she creates expresses her desires for freedom and a better life. .
O’Gara based the story on a number of oral histories he had collected throughout California over the years. “With strong art direction and inventive story telling,” O’Gara said, “I hope Kaoru’s Bark will treat the complexity of the camp period in the United States history in a manner that children can respond to.”
While some critics question the decision to expose young children to such harsh subject matter, many educators think such exposure can be beneficial.
“It depends on how it’s presented,” said Diane Delantoni, principal of Washington Elementary School in Burlingame, Calif. “For middle school students, it could be very appropriate. For elementary school students, it could be a little scary unless it’s done on a basic level. Elementary school students learn about slavery but in a basic way, so learning about [Japanese internment camps] would not be inappropriate.”
John Tateishi, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League agreed that children should learn about the Japanese incarceration experience. “It depends on the kinds of perspective and historical honesty that is required of this kind of film,” he said. “But in general, yes, it’s a good idea. It’s good to educate children early of U.S. history.”
Whether the presentation of such subject matter in an animated medium trivializes the seriousness of the actual events is debatable, but Delantoni argued that children are used to seeing violence and mature content in Saturday morning cartoons.
Tateishi agreed that an animated portrayal of the internment camp experience is “not necessarily negative. It depends on how much licensing they take with the subject. This could be both useful and encouraging,” he said.
Tateishi is not worried about misrepresentations because the grant came from a reputable source that prides itself on accurate portrayals of Japanese Americans.
“Since it’s gone through a panel of reviewers [from the CCLPEP], I think it should be pretty assured that it’ll have a good perspective,” he said. “They ask some pretty hard questions [before awarding a grant].”
The CCLPEP, formed in 1998 as a result of the passage of Assemblyman Mike Honda’s California Civil Liberties Act, provides competitive grants for the development of public education activities and materials aimed at educating the public about the experience of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Ring Master Puzzling Audiences Worldwide
September 28, 2000
Mathematical art form captivates followers
By Julie D. Soo
Though much of his audiences could not communicate with him in Mandarin, renowned wire puzzle artist Ruan Genquan of China intrigued children and adults alike with demonstrations of classical Chinese ring puzzles during his brief visit to San Francisco. Ruan’s animated gestures and glowing personality made him an instant hit. Captivated puzzle guinea pigs—those who tried their hands at solving the puzzles but mostly failed—watched in awe as he solved seemingly impossible puzzles.
Wire puzzles—thought to build intelligence—require patience and ingenuity to disassemble and reassemble. Through twists and turns, rings or handles are slipped past one another in a labyrinth of wire. The art form, especially the Nine Rings puzzle, is documented in literature as far back as the Song Dynasty over 1,000 years ago. China’s last emperor, Pu Yi, had a nine ring puzzle made of jade rings.
Ruan, a 66-year-old grandfather originally from Suzhou, learned the art from his father, Ruan Liuqi, from the 1930s through the 1950s. The elder Ruan invented classical designs such as the “teapot” and the “pagoda,” but the Ruan children—five boys and one girl—learned to design puzzles to resemble common objects such as fruits, flowers, animals, vehicles and aircraft. Dozens of different designs came from variations of the classic “Nine Interlocking Rings” puzzle.
In 1951, while working in Shanghai and selling his wares, a People’s Liberation Army cadre equipped with 10 kilograms of wire invited a 17-year-old Ruan Genquan to make puzzles for patients at a rehabilitation residence. Soon thereafter, Ruan discovered he also had a talent for crafting Chinese characters out of wire. Requests poured in for the popular “longevity” and “double happiness,” characters and even surnames.
Ruan, like his father, an artisan with only one year of formal education, taught himself how to make characters out of wire. He studied calligraphy books and analyzed the strokes and structure of each character. He practiced until he mastered the skill of outlining any character using just one piece of wire.
Asked how he formulates a strategy for crafting a wire character that is unfamiliar to him or particularly complex, Ruan explained that he has a three step method: “Most important is where to start on the character. Then, I think about the character strokes and how they connect. Finally, I keep in mind the proportion of the character, making sure that the character looks balanced.”
The Mathematics of Rings
For those mathematically inclined, the formula to calculate the number of moves for a classical interlocking ring puzzle with “n” rings on a handle (where the handle is to be removed from the rings) is:
R(n) = [2/3(2n+1)]-1, when n is odd
R(n) = 2/3(2n-1), when n is even.
Thus, a 9-ring puzzle takes 341 moves to dismantle, assuming each move is a correct one. The addition of a single ring to a puzzle doubles the number of moves.
Calligraphers are lauded for their artistry in the placement and balance of character strokes. The elite are heralded as fine scholars. And amazingly, Ruan’s wire characters are executed with the same detail and flourish as some of the best paint brush artists. Ruan admits, however, at times, he can be stumped for a period while making a character. But after a brief break or sleeping on the problem, he’s been able to finish anything.
The Mathematics of Rings
For those mathematically inclined, the formula to calculate the number of moves for a classical interlocking ring puzzle with “n” rings on a handle (where the handle is to be removed from the rings) is:
R(n) = [2/3(2n+1)]-1, when n is odd
R(n) = 2/3(2n-1), when n is even.
Thus, a 9-ring puzzle takes 341 moves to dismantle, assuming each move is a correct one. The addition of a single ring to a puzzle doubles the number of moves.
Ruan is a simple man, yet his brilliance is exhibited in his understanding of wire puzzles and his ability to craft the characters.
After a near 40-year absence from his craft, Ruan has again taken up the art thanks to Bay Area couple Wei Zhang and Peter Rasmussen, puzzle aficionados who, in 1997, tracked down Ruan in Wuxi, China. The couple had learned of Ruan and his father through a book found in the Library of Congress written by a Ruan family friend and teacher, Yu Chong En, during the late 1950s. Yu had chronicled Ruan’s father’s puzzles and designed additional ones.
Zhang surmises that Yu’s book, Ingenious Rings, originally from a Beijing library, had made its way to the Library of Congress during a book exchange that China had with the United States. She and her husband then set out to Suzhou to find Ruan and his father. They learned from Ruan’s brothers that their father had died in 1962 and that the Ruan family had abandoned the craft, focusing on jobs in government-run factories to raise their own families. Zhang and Rasmussen also learned that Ruan lived in Wuxi.
Ruan recalled the serendipitous visit in September 1997 from his new found friends: “They first found my brothers in Suzhou who told them where I lived in Wuxi. Imagine my family’s surprise when a foreigner and his Chinese wife showed up after traveling all the way from America to China looking for my father, a street vendor, and for me, a retired factory worker.
“Our surprise was even greater when our visitors showed us a photocopy of Ingenious Rings and some wire puzzles that a San Francisco puzzlemaker had made based on father’s designs. They told us that Yu Chong En’s book and my father’s puzzles were known by puzzle lovers all over the world. Next, it was my turn to surprise our visitors. I sent my son to get some wire, and I made a dozen wire puzzles for my new friends from America without looking at any diagrams or making ant measurements—strictly from memory. The designs have remained in my stomach to this day!”
Zhang, originally from China, credits her husband for tracking down Ruan Genquan.
“Even though Peter couldn’t read the language, he was much better at the research. He had the patience to turn over every stone. If it weren’t for Peter, I’m not sure we would have found Ruan Genquan,” she said. Zhang’s love for Chinese wire ring puzzles influenced an interest in her husband, a former math instructor. Indeed, educators have used the Chinese wire ring puzzles to teach students about the mathematical implications of the puzzles.
The famous Nine Interlocking Rings puzzle or Jiu Lian Huan puzzle is known by mathematicians and computer scientists the world over. Its invention is considered to be an important landmark in the history of recreational mathematics and in the development of the binary code, the basis of computer technology.
For Ruan, he is simply interested in making and solving puzzles. He seems oblivious to the number of puzzle researchers who intellectualize his art and pastime.
Two months after Zhang and Rasmussen’s 1997 visit, Ruan started making Ingenious Rings puzzles again. In August 1998, Ruan was invited to attend the 18th International Puzzle Party in Tokyo. He exchanged his ring puzzles with collectors from all over the world and brought home to Wuxi almost 100 challenging puzzles of all types. After a year, Ruan had solved about half of them.
Two weeks ago, Ruan attended the 20th International Puzzle Party in Los Angeles as a guest of Zhang and Rasmussen. It was his first time in the United States and a family reunion of sorts. Ruan was reunited with Ingenious Rings author Yu Chong En, who now makes his home in Alhambra, Calif.
Ruan is now sharing his renewed art with his children and grandchildren, the Ruan family’s fourth generation of puzzlemakers. “Today, I’m proud to say that our whole family is very successfully carrying on the Ingenious Rings business started by my father, Ruan Liuqi. You can find us making and selling Ingenious Rings puzzles in Wuxi, Nanjing, and Shanghai’s famous Yu Yuan.”
Ruan’s sister Hedi still keeps the box that Ruan Liuqi used at the original puzzle stand — a fitting tribute to a man who carried a traditional Chinese folk art into modern day and a new millennium through his progeny.
Contact Wei Zhang and Peter Rasmussen at the Classical Chinese Puzzle Foundation: 1437 Milvia Street, Berkeley, Calif., 94709; tel/fax (510) 526-5534; e-mail wei@c2p2.org, or orter@c2p2.org.
Election 2000 QuickGuide
September 19, 2000
An essential reference for Asian American voters
Research, interviews, and profiles by Neela Banerjee
Welcome to AsianWeek’s special feature on elections in 2000.
In this election year, the mainstream media give little if any attention to the issues that matter most to Asian Americans. AsianWeek asked the major party candidates for President of the United States (Al Gore and George W. Bush) and the major party candidates for U.S. Senator from California (Dianne Feinstein and Tom Campbell) to talk about our issues. Read what the candidates have to say — in their own words — about immigration issues, affirmative action, Wen Ho Lee, and more.
Furthermore, learn about races around the nation that are key to Asian American representation in our government, from Gary Locke’s governorship of Washington State, to Mike Honda’s bid for Congress.
Also, for our readers in San Francisco and California, we present: key races in the California Legislature involving Asian American candidates; a listing of all candidates in the San Francisco elections (with Asian American candidates highlighted), and short summaries of the propositions in San Francisco and California.
S.J. Newspaper Carrier Walkout Ends With Higher, Fairer Wages
September 19, 2000
But goal to unionize still in limbo
Protesting newspaper carriers, of whom 80 percent are Vietnamese American, hold signs outside the San Jose Mercury News. Publisher Jay Harris later met some of their demands. Photo courtesy of Saigon USA.
By Joseph Hong
John Hai Do, 27, is a newspaper home delivery carrier for the San Jose Mercury News. Like many of the other carriers for the newspaper, of whom 80 percent are Vietnamese American, Do is a non-union independent contractor holding two jobs to raise his family.
He starts his morning routes around 3 a.m., delivering papers seven days a week to some 250 homes around the San Jose area. After expenses, deductions drawn from customer complaints and customer payment defaults, Do estimates that he takes home around $600 a month, or about $6.00 an hour.
So when other carriers, many of whom are recent immigrants and elderly and whose only source of income is the delivery route, asked Do to represent the workers in their demand for higher wages and contract re-negotiatons, he didn’t hesitate.
Do helped lead a group of hundreds of carriers on a five day protest that disrupted operations in at least five of the 11 newspaper routes, before coming to agreements with the paper’s publisher Oct. 16.
According to the Mercury News, 38,000 out of 270,000 home delivery subscribers did not receive their paper last Sunday. At the height of the walk-out, at least 557 of the 1,080 carriers refused to do their routes—denying over 48,500 out of the over 200,000 weekday daily home subscribers their paper.
According to Do, the carriers have been asking for changes in their contract for years, sending letters and speaking to their supervisors. Though the managers were amenable to their complaints, nothing was done that satisfied the carriers, Do says.
The carriers had asked for a 20 percent increase in wage and requested two changes to their contracts: the end of collection and deductions of contractors’ pay due to delinquent subscriber bills and the end to charging carriers for redelivering a paper due to a customer complaint.
If a subscriber in a carrier’s route complained that they had not received their paper, according to the carrier’s contract, “the Mercury News may charge [the carrier] the reasonable cost of performing these services.” The “reasonable cost” at the Mercury News is $2.00 for a daily paper that costs 35 cents and $5.00 for a Sunday paper that costs $1.00 retail. Also, if a carrier fails to collect payment from a subscriber, the amount owed may be withheld from the carrier’s gross pay until it is collected.”
Carrier Minh Huynh recalls how her supervisor continued to send her to collect money for an increasing delinquent account for several weeks even after she had informed the supervisor that the person who had owed the money was deceased. The amount that was delinquent was withheld from her pay.
After mounting pressure and increased disruption in customer service, Mercury News publisher Jay Harris met with the carriers Oct.16, and issued letters with changes to their contract effective immediately: carriers will not be asked to collect subscription payments from any additional customers; that they will no longer be charged when customers request credit for a missed newspaper delivery; and that carriers receive a 12 percent increase retroactive to the beginning of October.
On a “fact sheet” released last Friday by the Mercury News, Harris is quoted as saying, “I respect and admire our carrier force. I believe they brought some legitimate concerns to our attention. We addressed the most significant of those with the changes we instituted at the start of the week. In the coming weeks, we will examine and address the remaining issues that were brought to our attention. We are committed to rebuilding our communication and relationship with our contract carriers.”
However, the carriers did not immediately agree to these three changes by Harris and did not begin to make deliveries on their routes again till late Friday morning.
The main reason for the carriers’ return, according to Do, is the newspaper’s agreement to a fourth condition that the carriers wanted, namely that there be no retaliatory actions against the carriers and that four carriers who had their contracts terminated after walking out have their contracts reinstated.
Do says that the dispute could have been avoided if carrier concerns and complaints had been addressed and not “just thrown in the garbage by our supervisors.”
One carrier who requested anonymity says, “The supervisors would smile like a flower and say ‘okay’ but nothing happened.”
All of the carrier representatives hope to join an organized labor union, and be less susceptible to future unfair labor demands. However, their status as independent contractors is a major hindrance to this goal.