THE APPA Newsletter

January 3, 2006

Happy New Year

Since 1873 the Japanese have celebrated New Year on Jan 1 (actually Dec 31 to Jan 3)

http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/new_year.html

http://tanutech.com/japan/newyear.html

http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/japanese_new_year.htm

 

 

See This Weekend

 

MISSION STATEMENT:

Promote full utilization of the capabilities of the Enterprise's employees and champion the betterment of the company and community. Promote interest in Asian Pacific issues and culture and act as a bridge to all groups within our community.

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ed. by Douglas Ikemi

(dkikemi@pacbell.net)

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Back issues of the newsletter for all of 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 are available at http://www.ikemi.info/APPA/newsletters.html if you want to look up some past event. The website www.apa-pro.org no longer exists

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Please send in information on cultural events and news items to dkikemi@pacbell.net. Thanks to those who have.

 

Long range calendar items:

 

Chinatown Farmers Market Every Thursday, 3:00pm to 7:00pm Chinatown Business Improvement District http://www.ChinatownLA.com/  For Information (213)_ 680-0243 

 

 

May 15 through January 15, 2006 Milton Quon: A Retrospective

This retrospective exhibit will showcase the broad range of Milton QuonÕs practice from fine art to commercial work,much of which is on public display for the first time.A quintessential Los Angeles artist, Quon was born in 1913 and raised in Los Angeles. After graduating from the Chouinard Institute of Art, QuonÕs career in the commercial arts took him to Walt Disney Studios where he worked as a designer and painter. From the 1940s to the Ō60s, Quon worked as an art director at ad agency Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn. From whimsical cherubs in DisneyÕs Fantasia to bold advertising posters, QuonÕs commercial work will be presented alongside the artistÕs rich collection of fine art works.

Tuesdays through Sundays 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Chinese American Museum, 425 N. Los Angeles St.

Suggested $3 donations

 INFO: 213-485-8567, www.camla.org

 

May 15 through January 15, 2006,  A Portrait of My Mother - A Photo Exhibit by Sam Lee

This exhibit features a photographic series, A Portrait of My Mother by Sam Boi Lee, an emerging Los Angeles-based, Chinese American photographer. LeeÕs poignant photographic series operates like a photo-essay told through eloquent images of his motherÕs world, from everyday objects that are imbued with his motherÕs nurturing strength, to his own expressions of loss and love.

Tuesdays through Sundays 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Chinese American Museum, 425 N. Los Angeles St.

Suggested $3 donations

 INFO: 213-485-8567, www.camla.org

 

Contemporary Asian Aesthetic by Lo Ch'ing

Exhibition at the LMAN Gallery
Through January 14, 2006

Works of the Taiwanese painter, calligrapher, and poet Lo Ch'ing will be exhibited at the LMAN Gallery in Chinatown from January 6 through January 14.

Lo Ch'ing was born in China in 1948, received his Master of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the University in Washington in 1974, and then taught English at Fu Jen University and later, from 1980, at National Taiwan Normal University. His poetry has been published and translated into many languages. His work at first glance appears to be rather traditional. In fact his paintings and calligraphy are individualistic and inventive. His whimsical use of traditional forms has been the hallmark of his eccentric approach. Humor and political comment contribute to the layers of meaning in his work. His signature seals play an inventive part in his painting compositions. His imaginative use of ink and brush strokes expands our understanding of calligraphy as a visual and symbolic art form. In Lo Ch'ing's words, "Through a semiotics deeply rooted in Chinese language and calligraphy, I orchestrate graphic conversations with the painting tradition, past and present, East and West by idea improvisation and technical extemporization."

Time: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

LMAN Gallery 
949 Chung King Road, Los Angeles, CA 

Tel: (213) 628-3883, info@lmangallery.com, www.lmangalley.com

 

Crossing Boundaries: The Ceramic Sculpture of Mineo Mizuno "New sculptural forms"

Exhibition at Long Beach Musuem of Art
Through January 15, 2006

The exhibition features more than 40 examples of MizunoÕs ceramic sculpture spanning an over thirty-year period from 1973 to 2005.

Long Beach Musuem of Art, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 

Open Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $5, $4 students & seniors, children under 12 free, free to all first Fri. of the month.

Tel: (562) 439-2119

 

Nov 18 to Feb 12, 2006 Place/Displace, Three Generations Taiwanese Art exhibit at the Pacific Asia Museum

 

Wright and Architecture of Japanese Prints

Exhibition at the Hammer Museum, Through January 22, 2006

This exhibition explores architect Frank Lloyd WrightÕs great passion for Japanese woodblock prints, which he collected and sold throughout his career. While highlighting works by some of the most celebrated Japanese print artists from the 18th and 19th centuries, this exhibition also offers insight into this source of inspiration for WrightÕs architecture. Drawn primarily from the Grunwald Center for the Graphic ArtÕs Frank Lloyd Wright Japanese Print Collection, the exhibition will also include rare loans from the Norton Simon Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Getty Research Institute.

Date: Friday, January 06, 2006

Time: 11:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024

Cost: $3-$5; 17 and younger, free

Special Instructions

Hours: Tue.-Wed., Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thu., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tel: 310-443-7000 www.hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/96/

 

8th Annual Shikishi Exhibition

At George J. Doizaki Gallery , Through January 29, 2006

Step into the New Year as we welcome 2006, the Year of the Dog. The Shikishi(Japanese Greeting Cards) Exhibition features works by hundreds of local and international artists. Participants of all ages, professions and walks of life are invited to design a Japanese shikishi (New Year greeting card) to express their hopes and dreams for the New Year. All submitted works are exhibited. The only guideline imposed were the Hatsu-hanashi theme and the use of ones' imagination.

George J. Doizaki Gallery
244 South San Pedro St
Los Angeles, CA 

Tuesday - Friday 12 noon to 5pm, Saturday & Sunday 11 am to 4pm Closed Monday and Holidays

Tel: (213) 628-2725 ext. 127.

 

January 14, Journey to the West

A Photographic Chronicle Retracing the Journey of Xuanzang

An exhibit of photographs of places the seventh century Buddhist pilgram Xuanzang reputedly visited in his journey to India. Presented, at the Evergreen Bookstore (Monterey Park), January 14 through January 22, by the Tzu Chi Foundation.

The International Encyclopedia of Religion describes Xuanzang as "one of the most illustrious figures in the history of scholastic Chinese Buddhism" and "world-famous for his sixteen-year pilgrimage to India and career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures. . . . Born into a scholarly family at the outset of the Tang (T'ang) Dynasty, he enjoyed a classical Confucian education. Under the influence of his elder brother, a Buddhist monk, however, he developed a keen interest in Buddhist subjects and soon became a monk himself at the age of thirteen. Upon his return to Chang'an in 645, Xuanzang brought back with him a great number of Sanskrit texts, of which he was able to translate only a small portion during the remainder of his lifetime. In addition to his translations of the most essential Mahayana scriptures, Xuanzang authored the Da tang xi yu ji (Ta-T'ang Hsi-yu-chi or Records of the Western Regions of the Great T'ang Dynasty) with the aid of Bianji (Bian-chi). It is through Xuanzang and his chief disciple Kuiji (K'uei-chi) (632-682) that the Faxiang (Fa-hsiang or Yogacara/Consciousness-only) School was initiated in China. In order to honor the famous Buddhist scholar, the Tang emperor Gaozong cancelled all audiences for three days after Xuanzang's death."

Saturday,  1:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Evergreen Bookstore
760 W. Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

For more information please contact

Tzu Chi Foundation Tel: (909) 447-7799, www.tzuchi.org/global/silkroad

 

January 21 THE SHAPE OF MEMORY

THE SHAPE OF MEMORY: Okinawan American oral history workshop and visual art installation

A visual art installation that will exhibit objects created by workshop participants of Okinawan descent. These objects will be placed as "shapes of memory" on a map that connects Okinawa, the U.S., Latin America and other spheres of the Okinawan Diaspora.

This workshop series invites those of Okinawan descent to come together to share stories from their lives while constructing objects made from paper and clay to represent moments from their past, present and future.

Facilitated by performance artist-in-residence Denise Uyehara with visual artist Lee Ann Goya. This free workshop takes place on Saturdays October - November. To sign up please call (310) 285-3698.

This project is supported in part by the Department of cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

Saturday,, 12 pm

2 pm Reception   George J. Doizaki Gallery

Admission is Free

 

January 25 Performance - Tokyo String Quartet and Sabine Meyer

At UCLA

UCLA Live will be presenting the Tokyo String Quartet accompanied by clarinetist Sabine Meyer. Since its beginnings in 1969 as a young firebrand quartet out of Juilliard, to its current stature as one of the world's supreme chamber ensembles, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike with its finesse and elegance.  The Grammy nominated ensemble will be joined by one today's most in-demand soloists, the acclaimed clarinetist Sabine Meyer. There is more information below.

"... quartet playing of the highest order ... truly fabulous." -The London Times

Tokyo String Quartet and Sabine Meyer, performing

Haydn, Quartet in G minor, Op. 74, No.3, "The Rider"

Dvor‡k, Quartet in F Major, Op. 96, "American"

Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581, "Stadler's Quintet"

Wednesday,  8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

UCLA, Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Cost: $42/32/22 ($15 UCLA STUDENTS*)

 

January 27 Screening - Sky Blue (2003)

At Korean Cultural Center

Produced by: Kyeong Hag Lee, Kay Kwang, Sunmin Park and J. Ethan Park
Running time: 86 minutes  In English (The English language version of the film was directed by Sunmin Park) Director: Moon Sang Kim (86 min) Genre: Animation

Story: Once upon a time, two little girls (Su-jeong Lim, Geun-young Mun), following an mysterious stint in a mental institution, were sent to live with their wicked stepmother (Jung-ah Yum) and taciturn father (Kap-su Kim) in an isolated house in the country....

Friday, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Korean Cultural Center
5505 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 

Cost: Free

Tel: (323) 936-7141

 

January 27 Tet New Year Festival 2006

At Garden Grove Park

Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California presents:  Embracing Our Culture, Securing Our Future

 Friday,  1:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Garden Grove Park, 9301 Westminster Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92844-2752

www.thsv.org/special/tet2006/default.aspx

 

Feb 12, Firecracker 5/10K

Celebrating the Year of the Dog, Lunar Year 4704

Saturday Š Feb 11, 2006 (Pre-Reg. Pickup / Late Reg)

9:00am - 5:00pm - Tshirt and bib pick-up for pre-registered runners, onsite late registration. (Alpine Recreation Center, 817 Yale Street, Los Angeles, metered street parking available, see parking info.)

Sunday Š Feb 12, 2006 (Race Day)

5:00AM - Course, sound system & vendor booth set up; volunteer check-in

6:00AM - Race day registration and bib pick-up

7:00AM - Pre-Race activities
7:15AM - Official Welcome

7:20AM - Opening Ceremonies

7:35 Š National Anthem

7:40 Š Lion Dancers perform

7:50 - Lighting of 100,000 firecrackers to chase away evil spirits and to signal runners to be in place for their run.

8:00AM - 5K Firecracker Run & 5k Walk start time

8:30AM - 10K Run start time

9:00AM - 5K Awards Presentation

9:15AM - Kiddle Run start time

9:30AM - 10K Run Awards Presentation

10K Course (Highlighted by the black line on the online map)

The 10K course is considered challenging as it winds its way through Elysian Park (see elevation map). This should not deter you as you will find many fellow runners competing at all levels. Whatever your competitive bent, you should enjoy the scenery and the camaraderie of fellow runners.

The early morning vistas of downtown Los Angeles to the south and neighborhoods to the north from the various vantage points in Elysian Park are quite breathtaking and not commonly seen, even by longtime Angelenos. There is no vehicular traffic to contend with. Mile markers indicate where you are and running times are called out by supportive course workers. The course winds through tree-lined rolling hills with the summit of Angels Point providing spectacular 180 degrees of the city. There are four water stops stationed on the course.

5K Course (Highlighted by the red line on the online map)

The run and walk begins on North Broadway for approximately 1/3 mile, then turns left onto Bishops Road. An immediate right turn at Stadium Way takes you over the 110 freeway toward Dodger Stadium for about a 1 mile uphill climb. This distance includes a right at Lookout Dr., then onto Lilac Terrace which leads again onto Stadium Way. A U-turn a little past Elysian Park Ave. returns you to Stadium Way directly to Bishops Road, then onto North Broadway toward the finish line. There is one water station on the course. Starting times will stagger to accommodate all entrants.

Kiddie Run

This is a fun run for all youngsters under 12 years of age. The "run" is approximately 1 kilometer (approx 2/3 mile). This event begins with warmup exercises and a short discussion about the joy and importance of reading. The course features a turnaround at Bernard St., then back to the official finish line. A goodie bag awaits all Kiddie Run registrants.

Due to limited parking in the Chinatown vicinity, it is highly recommended that you arrive early to find parking. Please pay attention to street signs as parking will be enforced. See the online map (pdf file) for parking lot locations and street parking availability. Parking lot hours and prices are subject to change without notice, please verify with parking attendant on all info.

By Mass Transit: The Metro Gold Line will be serving Chinatown from Union Station, Highland Park, South Pasadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. The station is a 2-minute walk from the Firecracker Event site. Trains run approximately every 20 minutes. Please visit the Metro's website to get detailed information, rail timetables, and for your trip planning.

www.firecracker10k.org

 

Feb 18 55th Anniversary U.S. Tour

Prayer - Harvest - Celebration

Warabi-za

Recognized for their centuries old folk music, energetic dance, and taiko, Warabi-za returns to the U.S. with a special program comprised of traditional Japanese folk performances from various prefectures of Japan.

The 2006 US Tour Prayer-Harvest-Celebration will feature a creative dance piece titled "Oyako jishi" with dancers in the guise of a lioness and her cub perform a heartening and encouraging prayer for children to persevere through times of hardship. "Sado okesa," a traditional dance characterized by the wave-like movements of the water-surrounding Sado Island (home of the famed KODO drummers).

The tour is under the direction of Hiroshi Kuriki, with composition and choreography by Kenji Osakake and music direction by Masaru Iijima.

Aratani/Japan America Theatre;

Japanese American Cultural and  Community Center 244 South San Pedro Street, Suite 505
(between 2nd and 3rd Streets), Los Angeles (Little Tokyo), CA 90012
(213) 628-2725

Aratani/Japan America Theatre Box Office Info: (213) 680-3700

$30 orchestra, $27 balcony

$27, $24 JACCC Members, Groups 10 or more

 

February 18, 2006 / Chinese American Museum / 12 Š 7pm
Celebrate the Fifth Annual Lantern Festival!

www.camla.org

El Pueblo de Los Angeles

125 Paseo de la Plaza, Suite 400

Los Angeles, California 90012

(213) 485-8567

 

February 24, 2006 / Time and Place TBA
Lantern Festival Banquet 2006

www.camla.org

El Pueblo de Los Angeles

125 Paseo de la Plaza, Suite 400

Los Angeles, California 90012

(213) 485-8567

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This Weekend (and earlier)

 

January 5 Korean Classical Music Program

At Korean Traditional Performing Arts Institute of America, Inc.

Daegeum ( Large Transverse Bamboo Flute )

Danso ( Small Notched Bamboo Vertical Flute )

Janggo ( Hourglass Drum )

Gayageum ( Twelve-stringed Zither )

Haegeum ( Two-stringed Fiddle )

Thursday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Korean Traditional Performing Arts Institute of America, Inc. 3545 Wilshire Blvd. #340
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Cost: $40 (including materials)

For more information please contact Paul Lee Tel: 213-210-5552

 

January 8, 2006  Messengers from Forbidden Mountain

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and The Japan Foundation of Los Angeles Present:

KOTOHAJIME Both solemn and festive, the closing of an old year and the beginning of a new one are viewed as a time of reflection as well as festivity. Kotohajime is the JACCC's annual celebration of traditional and contemporary performances in observance of the New Year. Messengers from Forbidden Mountain.

This year's celebration includes the performance "Messengers from Forbidden Mountain" on Sunday, January 8, 2006 from 1 p.m. and a Shikishi exhibition at the George J. Doizaki Gallery. This year's Shikishi theme is Hatsu-hanashi (First-story) will be exhibit from January 8th through January 29th.

Viewing Los Angeles as the contemporary Silk Road: where the routes for commerce, culture, language, and arts, intermingle as they migrate, "The Messenger from Forbidden Mountain" performance features an eclectic blend of traditional and contemporary arts.

"Messenger" features Masakazu Yoshizawa's expertise with Japanese wind instruments, Shakuhachi and Nohkan, Yuval Ron's unique mix of traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music, and the Japanese archery group IKKYU.

Yoshizawa, along with his group Kokingumi, set a strong foundation with their blend traditional and contemporary Japanese music for this performance. Joining Yoshizawa in Kokingumi are Hiromi Hashibe on the Koto and Takeo Takahashi on the Tsugaru Shamisen.

Ron is an international composer, performer, educator and record producer. His ensemble includes Arabic, Israeli and Jewish musicians as well as Christian Armenian artists. Ron is dedicated to building musical bridges between people of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths.

Presented by The Japan Foundation of Los Angeles

Saturday, at 1pm.   JACCC Plaza 

Admission is Free

 

An Assortment of Beauties: Japanese Woodblock Prints Collected by Frank Lloyd Wright

July 29, 2005 - January 9, 2006

The exhibition features Japanese woodblock prints devoted to images of beautiful women. This theme is one component of a school of picture making known as ukiyo-e, which can be translated as "pictures of the floating world." Beautiful women (bijin) were depicted alone as well as in small and large groups, entertaining themselves by playing games, preparing themselves for the night, or promenading though the city with their attendants or children. All of the approximately 12 woodblock prints included in this exhibition were once owned by the celebrated American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), who was a spirited collector of Asian art, including Japanese woodblock prints. Featured artists include Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764), Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806) and Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825).

Images of beautiful women provide an important theme for the Japanese art of ukiyo-e, which can be translated as "pictures of the floating world." Woodblock prints by ukiyo-e artists became extremely propular during the Edo period (1600-1868), due to the blending of classical Japanese aesthetics with contemporary urban themes. In this medium, the hedonistic worlds inhabited by geisha, courtesans and Kabuki actors were often portrayed. Beautiful women, or bijin, were depicted alone as well as in small and large groups, entertaining themselves by playing games, preparing for the evening or promenading through the city with their attendants and children.

All of the prints included in this intimate exhibition were once owned by the celebrated American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), who was an avid collector of Asian art, especially Japanese woodblock prints. Wright often incorporated Japanese aesthetics into his own architectural designs. He began purchasing prints around 1900 while living in Chicago and expanded his collection considerably during his many trips to Japan, between his first visit in 1905 and his completion of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel in 1922.

The Norton Simon Museum has more than 350 prints form Wright's personal collection. Featured artists in this exhibition include Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764), Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770), Kitigawa Utamaro (1754-1806) and Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825).

http://www.nortonsimon.org/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.asp#2

 

Howard Ozaki passed away on Dec 18, 2005. 80 years - from pneumonia and complications with other medical problems. His life was his work - he retired at 75 - forced age limit at what was Hughes Aircraft.  He was head of  Miicrowave and Antenna at Hughes Space and Comm and one of the key  figures who made Hughes the leading communications satellite manufacturer at one time. He was born in San Francisco, interned in a camp in Montana during part of WWII, drafted into the Army where he translated captured Japanese transmissions, PhD in Electrical Engineering, worked 38 years at Hughes Aircraft rising to Vice President. [Parts of this were excerpted from an email from an attendee at the funeral that was forwarded to me .]

 

Last weekend I went to: 

(A little earlier than a weekend, actually)

December 18 The World of the Geisha "Gion Bayashi"

Lecture by Andrew Maske A recognized scholar of Japanese art who has held positions at the Peabody Essex Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Harvard University, Andrew Maske presents a lecture on the fascinating and often misunderstood entertainers known as geisha. The explanation provides background and context for the movie, "Gion Bayashi."

Presented by The Japan Foundation of Los Angeles. [This was an excellent if melodramatic film about a veteran geisha who sacrifices herself to protect her protˇgˇ .[

 

Jan 1 I attended the Japanese New Year celebrations at  Weller Court in Little Tokyo, hanging on even through the rain. The final dance group went ahead and toughed it out, performing in the middle of a downpour, a foreshadowing of the Rose Parade.

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Links to selected articles from the LA Times. To actually access the articles, you may have to sign up for a free account.

 

Jan 3 COLUMN ONE

Cantonese Is Losing Its Voice

Speakers of the spicy tongue that can make words of love sound like a fight are having to learn its linguistic kin, the mellower Mandarin.

By David Pierson, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-cantonese3jan03,1,3686479.story?track=mostemailedlink&coll=la-home-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

 

Jan 4 OBITUARIES

Young O. Kim, 86; World War II and Korean War Hero, Uniter of L.A. Asian Communities

By Myrna Oliver, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-kim4jan04,1,3229985.story

 

Dec 28 CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST

A Tradition of Farming Being Abandoned

Children of Hmong immigrants are leaving the fields for other jobs. 'I don't blame them for not wanting this hard life,' one parent says.

By Daisy Nguyen, Associated Press

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hmong28dec28,1,5841815.story

 

Dec 25 ACES TO WATCH 2006

MOVIES

Robert W. Welkos

JUSTIN LIN

http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/cotown/la-ca-facesfilm25.3dec25,1,890141.story

 

Dec 25 Vietnamese Immigrants Give $1 Million to College

Donation by developer, restaurateur bolsters Little Saigon's growing sense of philanthropy.

By Mai Tran, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gift20dec20,1,5819947.story

 

Dec 12 Hate-Crime Levels in L.A. County at 15-Year Low

From a Times Staff Writer

Hate crimes in Los Angeles County dropped to the lowest level in 15 years, the county's Human Relations Commission reported today.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-121205hate_lat,1,3150209.story

 

Jan 2 GOBAL REPORT

Train Operators Fight Groping by Creating Women-Only Cars

Female passengers on Tokyo's subway say molestation is common. Many have requested separate compartments, companies report.

By Mariko Sanchanta, Financial Times

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-ft-subways2jan02,1,3111278.story

 

Jan 1 THE WORLD

Britain Discloses WWII Notes

Papers show Churchill decided to respect U.S. segregation and wanted to have Hitler executed.

From Associated Press

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-race1jan01,1,4945403.story

 

Dec 31 Stirring New Year's Pot Is a Stroke of Luck

Japanese Americans scramble to find ingredients for ozoni, a traditional soup they hope will ensure good fortune in 2006.

By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ozoni31dec31,1,1338274.story

 

Dec 25 DESTINATION: TOKYO

To the East, a classical crescendo

By Mark Swed, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-tokyo25dec25,1,7499783.story

 

Dec 30 HOLLYWORLD

Crouching U.S. studios, hidden Chinese market

Major film companies prepare to pounce if the world's biggest market comes out from behind Communist rules and rampant piracy.

By Bruce Wallace, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/cotown/la-et-chinamovie30dec30,1,5044308.story

 

Dec 29 PATT MORRISON:

As the fortune cookie crumbles

BELIEVE IT: The fortune cookie was invented in California. San Francisco claims it, but Smithsonian magazine credits it to an L.A. noodle maker, and I'm not going to contradict Washington, not in this political climate.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-morrison29dec29,1,6714948.column

 

Dec 17 Judge OKs Plea Deal in Spy Case

After espionage charges unravel, FBI informant Leung pleads guilty to a tax count and lying about an affair. She gets 3 years' probation.

By David Rosenzweig, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-leung17dec17,1,4296584.story