Rescuers conduct search operation amidst smoldering debris in Kesennuma, northern Japan March 14 following the previous Friday’s massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. (Photo by Yomiuri Shimbun, Miho Ikeya/AP)

Editor’s note: This story has been edited to include a quote from Diane Adachi.

By Yukari Sumino
Northwest Asian Weekly

Strong earthquakes hit the Tohoku region of Japan in the afternoon on March 11, triggering several 6- to 23-foot tsunami waves that caused massive destruction and killed civilians in areas along the Pacific coast of eastern Japan, especially in the Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima Prefectures. Read the full story

By Rebecca W. Lee
Northwest Asian Weekly

Second Team Xbot #488’s 2011 robot (Photo by Madison Krass)

Those passing by the Qwest exhibition center on March 18 or 19 may wonder why there are so many students in colorful t-shirts, excited to be awake at 8 a.m. These are students who spent six weeks designing and manufacturing a five-foot, 120-pound robot. These robots are used to compete against other robots from around the Pacific Northwest.

In 1989, Dean Kamen founded FIRST (for inspiration and recognition of science and technology) to inspire students to learn about science, technology, and engineering. Kamen and his committee create games for students.

How it began

Each year, on the first Saturday in January, thousands of high school students and mentors worldwide log onto www.usfirst.org to find out what the new game is. This year, the game is called logomotion, where robots put as many tubes on a rack as possible in the span of two minutes. Read the full story

Members of the band, The Slants, are facing an uphill battle in proving to the trademark office that their name is not offensive to Asians. (Photo by Jamie Elle Harris)

By Evangeline Cafe
Northwest Asian Weekly

Members of the Portland-based band The Slants create synth-pop anthems that channel 1980s icon Depeche Mode, but with an Asian flair. In one track, “Sakura Sakura,” the band blends techno beats with a Japanese folk song and proclaims in its chorus, “We sing for the Japanese and the Chinese, and all the dirty knees” — a reference to the old, racist schoolyard rhyme. Read the full story

By Jim Fitzgerald and Tom Hays
The Associated Press

Emergency personnel investigate the scene of a bus crash in the Bronx borough of New York on March 12. (Photo by David Karp/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Passengers and witnesses to a New York City bus crash that killed 15 people are contradicting the driver’s story that he was clipped by a tractor-trailer before the accident, a law enforcement source said Sunday, March 13.

Many of the passengers on the bus were residents of Manhattan’s Chinatown. They ranged in age from 20 to 50, officials said.

Passengers said driver Ophadell Williams swerved at times to the right for no reason before sliding off the road at dawn on Saturday and into a sign pole.

The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the probe and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The official said that passengers said they didn’t feel anything hit them. Other motorists on Interstate 95 said they didn’t see the bus get hit. The official said police spoke to the tractor-trailer driver, who said he was following the bus. Read the full story

City of Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland

Earlier in the month, City of Tacoma Mayor, Marilyn Strickland, returned from a 10-day trip to Seoul, Shanghai, and Fuzhou on official business. She accepted Ron Chow’s frequent flyer miles for the trip, a decision that she is currently getting flak for. Chow is the cofounder and president of Seattle Pacific Trading and Retail Restaurant Development.

Strickland told the News Tribune she was trying to save the city, which is in the midst of a budget crisis, with an additional expense. Read the full story

Asian foods are among the 500 different kinds of food featured at this year’s Vegfest, to be held March 26 and March 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. Vegfest is the biggest vegetarian food festival in the United States. Read the full story

Uwajimaya will be moving from their current location at 15555 NE 24th St. & Bel-Red Road in the spring of 2011.  Read the full story

The Associated Press

Daisuke Matsuzaka (left) and Hideki Okajima

Boston pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka tried to get in touch with his grandmother. Oakland slugger Hideki Matsui prayed for the victims. Mets reliever Ryota Igarashi stayed up all night to see the devastation.

All across spring training, Japanese ballplayers worried about those at home. Hundreds of people were killed or missing after Japan was struck by its biggest recorded earthquake and a massive tsunami. Read the full story

By Anita Chang
The Associated Press

DONGGUAN, China (AP) — Li Biying, 20, has no plans to go home. Unlike older migrant workers who came to earn money for a few years before returning to their villages, the new generation intends to stay, envisioning a life in the neon-splashed cities. Read the full story

Compiled by Rebecca W. Lee
Northwest Asian Weekly

Northwest Asian Weekly’s Diversity Makes a Difference scholarship program celebrates young people who are committed to reaching out across cultural lines. Students are nominated by their school as being champions of diversity. From among those students, a judging panel will choose five winners who will receive $1,000 scholarships and a number of finalists who will receive $200 scholarships. Read the full story

By Rebecca Nappi
The Spokesman-Review

Left image: Photo from University of Nebraska Museum, Anthropology Division. Right image: Photo from Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — In the late 1920s, things were not so good between Japan and the United States.

Long before World War II, tensions mounted — over the treatment of Japanese immigrants here, and the competition for economic opportunities in China.

In every troubled time, prophetic individuals understand countries may war, but citizens share common values. They love their children. They appreciate art and beauty. Read the full story

A monthly column about all things Asian in popular culture

By Vivian Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly

“And the Oscar goes to…”

The holiest of red carpets and celebrity events took place on Feb. 27 in Los Angeles.

At the 83rd annual Academy Awards, Asian Australian illustrator Shaun Tan won the best short film (animated) category for his piece, “The Lost Thing” — an award he shared with co-director Andrew Ruhemann. Read the full story

Japan’s death toll is projected to exceed 10,000, and a half-million people could be left homeless as a result of the devastating earthquakes and tsunami it experienced last week. Currently, damaged nuclear reactors are a cause for concern. A pool containing spent fuel rods at Fukushima’s No. 4 reactor poses a risk of radioactivity released into the air, according to a French safety agency.   Read the full story

A donation can for rellief efforts for Japan at the recent Sounders game, March 15 (Photo by Sarah Rothman of the Red Cross)

During his broadcast, NBC anchor Brian Williams wondered how Japanese people located their lost relatives in Japan during the disaster. Read the full story

How can a nation train its citizens to remain calm and orderly after witnessing the loss of their homes and the deaths of their loved ones? Read the full story

When news of Japan’s misfortune broke out, all the baby milk powder made in Japan was instantly sold out in Hong Kong. A relative of mine, who lives in southern China, often drives across the border to Hong Kong to buy the powder.   Read the full story