Many people give, but only do so with strings attached. These thoughts may sound familiar:

“The more I get acknowledged in public, the more I will give.”

“I jump on the bandwagon when the rich and powerful in the room are giving.”

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Seattle may become the first city in the United States to institute a tax on the plastic bags people carry home from grocery stores. Seattleites will vote on Referendum 1, dubbed the Seattle bag tax, in the Aug. 18 election.

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Now we know this upcoming election season isn’t as big as last year’s presidential election, but that does not mean we should fall into complacency.

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On July 21, Commander Bok Pon passed away due to a deteriorating liver caused by Hepatitis B.

Three years ago, Commander Pon was diagnosed with Hepatitis B. Even with this prior knowledge, Pon did not stop helping people and continued his duties at American Legion Post #384, known as Cathay Post.

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In one of Los Angeles County’s largest defamation lawsuits, Filipino American Elizabeth Tagle was awarded $74 million after winning a defamation case against GUESS? co-founder Georges Marciano on July 29.

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The Executive Development Institute (EDI) held a reception for Dr. Qi Lu. Lu is the current president of Microsoft’s Online Service Division and plays a vital role for the Microsoft-Yahoo partnership. He spoke to more than 200 people about leadership and the importance of humility and teamwork. Besides this event, EDI has created other programs to help Asian Pacific professionals.♦

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Lorna Schofield is the new section chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation. Schofield is the first Asian American to be the chair of this section. She has experience in both the private and public sectors. She has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. She is a partner of the international law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP.♦

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The Yang Chengfu Tai Chi Chuan Center celebrated its 10th anniversary. Held at the Redmond Senior Center, local martial arts schools like Warrior Martial Arts and the Wushu Academy presented intricate performances. The Yang Chengfu Tai Chi Chuan Center has 28 centers in 12 countries. The first center was founded in 1995. ♦

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Jerry Lee, a philanthropist and the chairman of Mulvanny G2 Architecture, celebrated his birthday with 60 good friends at South China Restaurant in Bellevue. Meant to be a surprise party planned by Lee’s wife Charlene, Lee showed up 20 minutes earlier than expected.

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Chi Life (CL) Studio & Martial Arts Equipments Shop celebrated its grand opening in Redmond. Located inside a brand new building developed by his father, CL is Robin Leong’s fifth school. It is located at 2222 152nd Ave. N.E. in Redmond. His other schools are located in Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai. Leong said the school will offer yoga classes for kids, hire Shaolin monks, and hire Chinese experts in kung fu to teach his students.♦

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“Can you speak the language?”

“Is your dad white?”

“You don’t eat that, do you?”

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Seattle Municipal Court Judge Ron Mamiya won’t be suspended or removed from office due to a sexual harassment suit from a former female court employee (unnamed due to the state’s public disclosure act). Mamiya was censured last Friday, Aug. 7, by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

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“Thirst” is a new film directed by controversial South Korean director Chan-wook Park. The film begins with a fat man wheezing in his hospital bed. Between wheezes, he explains how he once held the world’s greatest sponge cake. He longed for nothing more than a private place to devour this cake. However, he came across two hungry sisters and gave the cake to them instead.

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A traditional Chinese wedding ceremony with lavish costumes and authentic props imported from China (including a flower sedan chair) was held at the Seattle Westin Hotel on Aug. 8. The bride, Kris Qi Yue Ruan, and groom, Robin Leong, were wed before 400 guests. They had met in Singapore.

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“Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story”
Written by Paula Woo, illustrated by Lin Wang
Lee & Low Books, June 2009

Being Asian American in the early days of show business was not easy.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. District Judge Robert M. Takasugi, who was sent to an internment camp with his family during World War II and overcame discrimination to become the first Japanese American appointed to the federal bench, has died at the age of 78.

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