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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2018)
U.S.A. September 17, 2018 Anna Sui opens a grand bazaar at New York Fashion Week Los Angeles Japanese- American museum receives $525,000 gift from member LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles says it has received a gift of more than $525,000 from a member who died last year. The downtown museum announced that the donation from Setsuko Oka will go toward exhibitions and programs focused on Japanese artistic and cultural heritage in the United States. City News Service said a plaque honoring Oka’s parents also will be placed at the museum, per the terms of her bequest. Oka became a member in 1993, a year after the museum was founded. Its exhibitions cover more than 130 years of Japanese- American history through artifacts, textiles, art, photo- graphs, and oral histories. q About 1,000 workers lose Colorado Springs call center jobs COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — About 1,000 workers have lost jobs in Colorado Springs since December 31 as some of the city’s call centers have moved operations elsewhere, including overseas. However, The Gazette has reported that the cuts come as other centers are expanding there despite a tight labor market. The federal government provides training and financial help for workers who lose their jobs as a result of imports or a shift in production or services to a foreign country. State and local officials filed petitions for help for two of the companies, StarTek and Wide Open West. According to the petitions, the eliminated StarTek jobs were being moved to the Philippines and possibly Honduras and the jobs at Wide Open West were moving to Nicaragua and Alabama. Read The Asian Reporter online! Visit <www.asianreporter.com> and click on the “Online Paper (PDF)” link to download our last two issues. THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7 By Gina Abdy The Associated Press EW YORK — Ann Sui opened a grand bazaar as she dreamt of an unspoiled paradise at New York Fashion Week. She was inspired, in part, by the 1955 Vincente Minnelli film Kismet. “One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when she went shopping and she was walking through this beautiful marketplace and that is my favorite thing on earth to do,” Sui told The Associated Press of her the show. “In every city I travel to, I want to find out where’s the flea market.” The vibe, she said, was wanderlust, an escapist fantasy. Set designer Jerry Schwartz created her shopping experience for guests, including filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, his filmmaker daughter Sofia Coppola, and Naomi Campbell. For her spring collection, Sui chose bright colors and bold patterns in silk dresses, shorts, and loose-fitting pantsuits. Many looks had matching turbans or floppy hats. Models walked in bright colored sneakers and sandals with lace socks. The final look, worn by Gigi Hadid, was a gold glittery V-neck dress that was sheer from the waist to ankle. “I was inspired by the way Tony Duquette did the sets in Kismet, where he kept everything very neutral and gold, which is what we did with our set. And what popped were the color clothing and what people were wearing or objects they were finding in the market,” Sui said. Shapes were sporty in luxe metallic brocades. Glittery party dresses were paired with the aforementioned anklets and sneakers. She made use of Jacquard fisherman vests, oversized embellished biker jackets, pinup girl bathing suits, satin cowboy shirts, and Polynesian jumpsuits. Lots of looks were trimmed in fishscale sequins and ombre fringe. “I just love the idea of first being artisanal, but also creating a fantasy,” Sui said. “So that’s what I was trying N SPRING COLLECTION. A model walks the runway at the Anna Sui spring 2019 show during New York Fashion Week. For her spring collec- tion, Sui chose bright colors and bold patterns in silk dresses, shorts, and loose-fitting pantsuits. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff) to do tonight, was to create this fantasy of idyllic shopping, of a dream world of shopping.” Sofia Coppola made a purchase, to be picked up after the show with other buyers. “I love to see Anna’s shows,” she said. “She’s a good friend of mine and I always love to see what she does. And this one is unique.” Kazuto Ioka wins comeback bout, Estrada triumphs at Superfly 3 By Greg Beacham The Associated Press I NGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kazuto Ioka got back on the road to a fourth world title with the win he craved in the arena that drew him out of retirement. Ioka returned to boxing with an impressive U.S. debut in a wide unanimous decision over McWilliams Arroyo, and Juan Francisco Estrada grinded out a decision over Felipe Orucuta in the main event of Superfly 3. Filipino super flyweights Donnie Nietes and Aston Palicte also fought to a draw in a bout for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) 115-pound title at the Forum. Ioka’s victory in his comeback bout highlighted the third edition of the fight series created by promoter Tom Loeffler to showcase the world’s top boxers from the oft-neglected super flyweight division and thereabouts. Ioka (23-1), a three-division champion while fighting in his native Japan, returned from a brief retirement and a 17-month ring absence with a complete performance against Arroyo (17-4), the tested Puerto Rican veteran. “I think Ioka, his star is shining bright now,” Loeffler said. “He got his opportunity on HBO, and for a three-division champion moving up and taking on Arroyo, who was punching really hard, I think he was the most impressive fighter of the night.” Ioka quit boxing last winter, but returned to the gym a few months later after attending the Superfly 2 show in February. He was enticed back to the sport by the lively atmosphere and elite 115-pound talent on display inside the famed Forum. Ioka had an active jab and ready combinations from the opening bell, and he knocked down Arroyo in the final seconds of the third round with a right hand squarely on the jaw. Arroyo rallied in the middle rounds before Ioka reasserted his dominance down the stretch. “I’m very happy with the performance and very appreciative of my opportunity to fight in America,” Ioka said. “The atmosphere was fantastic. This is exactly as I hoped it would be, and I can’t wait to come back and fight on Superfly 4 against the best in the division.” One judge scored it 99-90 for Ioka, and the other two favored him 97-92. Ioka connected with 32 percent of his 797 punches, and his sharp jab landed 31 percent of the time. Arroyo connected with only 22 percent of his shots. “I had high expectations for him, but he fought an impressive fight,” Loeffler said. “I was really impressed with his left hook to the body. He was really slowing down Arroyo with the body shots.” Ioka returned to the sport with the goal of becoming Japan’s first four-division world champion. He could get that shot soon after this victory put him in position for a New audiobook features Joe Biden conversations NEW YORK (AP) — An upcoming audiobook will feature former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden talking about his late son Beau with such interviewers as Stephen Colbert, Constance Wu, and Aaron Sorkin. Conversations With Joe is scheduled for release on October 16 by Audible, the publisher and distributor owned by Amazon.com. The recordings are taken from Biden’s “American Promise” tour from last year, when he was promoting his memoir Promise Me, Dad. He centered the book on his reflections on Beau Biden, who died in 2015 of brain cancer. Audible announced that Conversa- tions With Joe will feature Biden’s thoughts on his son’s life and his family’s determination to honor his memory. Beau Biden was an Iraq War veteran who later served as Delaware’s attorney general. COMEBACK BOUT. Super flyweight Kazuto Ioka, left, of Japan, spars with his trainer, Ismael Salas, at the Wild Card West gym in Santa Monica, California. Ioka ended his brief retirement to make his U.S. debut against McWilliams Arroyo, a tested Puerto Rican veteran, at the Forum. Ioka’s comeback bout featured a complete performance. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham) shot at the World Boxing Council (WBC) 115-pound belt held by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, whose next bout is in October in his native Thailand. Estrada also has a case for a rematch with Sor Rungvisai, who kicked off the Superfly series in style last September with a stunning knockout of Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Sor Rungvisai beat Estrada in a thriller at Superfly 2. Estrada (37-3) made his name with an upset victory over Carlos Cuadras on the first Superfly show, but he had a tough time with Orucuta (36-5), a 32-year-old veteran making his U.S. debut. The fight built to a fantastic seventh round with back-and-forth action. An instant before the final bell, Estrada landed a right hand that forced Orucuta to put his glove on the canvas, but no knockdown was called. Two judges scored it 117-111 for Estrada, and a third had it 118-110. The card’s sole title fight was less entertaining. Nietes (41-1-5) appeared to have a slight edge for most of his 12 rounds against Palicte (24-2-1), but one judge apiece scored it for each fighter, and the third had a 114-114 draw. Nietes landed 37 percent of his punches, while Palicte threw 307 more punches, but connected with only 14.9 percent of them. “Of course I won the fight,” Nietes said. “I’m very disappointed. I deserve the title. I handled his height, I hurt him, and I controlled the fight.” ASTHMA IS ON THE RISE. Help us find a cure. 1-800-LUNG-USA TALKING STORY IN ASIAN AMERICA n Polo Polo’s “Talking Story” column will return soon.