SEATTLE ANNUAL MEETING
AALLC Business Meeting Minutes
Time: 5:20 - 6:20 PM, July 14, 2003
Location: Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, Washington, Room 310
Attendees: Ting James (St. Louis University), Wei-Yau Huang (Santa Clara County Law Library), Hua Li (Villanova University), Frank Liu (Duquesne University), Cindy Wang (Emory University), Pin-sheng Hsiao (Reed Smith LLP), Lan Tran (Louisiana State University), David Mao (Covington & Burling), Andrew Evans (Washburn University), Robert H. Hu (Texas Tech University), Hainan Yu (Brooklyn Law School), Lu Nguyen (Orange County Public Law Library), Yukino Nakashima (Columbia University), Joan Liu (New York University), Mon Yin Lung (Florida International University), Cossette Sun (Alameda County Law Library), Heija Ryoo (Southern Illinois University), Miki Scholl (University of St. Thomas), Dongfa Zhou (William Mitchell College of Law), Wei Luo (Washington University), Swee L. Berkey (University of Hawaii), Ming Lu (Los Angeles County Law Library), Keiko Okuhara (University of Hawaii), Roger Xiang (American Express), Yuan Yao (Georgetown University), Yan Hong (University of Connecticut), Joanne She (U.S. Department of Justice).
Actions: The meeting was called to order at 5:20 p.m. President Ting James presided over the meeting. Introductions of those present were made around the room at the beginning of the session.
I. Approval of the Minutes of the 2002 Business Meeting
The minutes of the 2002 Business Meeting, previously posted on the Caucus’s Web site as part of the October 2002 newsletter, were approved.
II. Treasurer’s Report
The treasurer did not attend the meeting. President Ting James reported that the Caucus’s account showed a current balance of approximately $600.
III. Committee Reports
Membership Committee (Yan Hong, chair): No report was made.
Nomination Committee (Mila Rush, chair): Swee Berkey presented a report on behalf of Mila Rush. The Committee nominated Robert H. Hu as Vice President/President-Elect for a one-year term and Yuan Yao as Secretary/Treasurer for a two-year term.
Communications & Publicity Committee (David Mao, chair): David Mao asked members to support the newsletter by contributing stories. He solicited members’ suggestions and ideas for the newsletter. He expressed interest in publishing members’ essays about their Seattle convention experiences. Webmaster, Pin-sheng Hsiao reported that AALL recently moved its server from Washburn University to AALL headquarters in Chicago and installed new software called Lyris for listserv management. She noted that the listserv is now called forum. Finally, she noted that AALL has set more restrictions on forum subscribers. Most likely, only AALL members will be allowed to subscribe to AALL forums; the new policy should be announced in the fall.
Program Committee (Pin-sheng Hsiao, chair): Pin-sheng Hsiao announced that a tour to the Seattle Asian Art Museum had been arranged and would take place on Tuesday, July 15. Interested members were to meet at the convention registration desk at 2:30 p.m. President Ting James added that the annual dinner was scheduled at the China Harbor restaurant after the museum tour and that those going should meet at the registration desk at 5:15 p.m.
IV. Elections
Robert Hu’s nomination was approved and he was elected Vice President/President-Elect for a one-year term.
There was an objection from the floor to the nomination of Yuan Yao as Secretary/Treasurer. The objection was that Yao should not have been nominated. As he was a member of the Nominations Committee, his nomination appeared to be a conflict. The nomination was withdrawn. Subsequently, Yao was nominated for the Secretary/Treasurer position from the floor. A motion was seconded and the nomination passed to elect him as Secretary/Treasurer for a two-year term.
V. AALL George Strait Minority Scholarship
Frank Liu stated that AALL has set 2005 as the target date for collecting $100,000 from the AALL membership toward the George Strait Minority Scholarship. The Scholarship will fund minority individuals going to law school or library schools. Caucus members David Mao and Andrew Evans, for example, have benefited from the scholarship fund in the past. Frank Liu called on the Caucus to make a contribution to the fund. A motion for the Caucus to make a $255 contribution to the fund was made from the floor and was passed. The President of the Caucus will write a letter to the AALL President and include a $255 check payable to the scholarship fund.
VI. Committee Structure
President Ting James suggested that we might need to rethink our Nomination Committee structure. Mon Yin Lung was opposed to the idea of having the immediate past president serve as Nomination Committee chair.
VII. Unfinished Business
None.
VIII. New Business
President Ting James thanked Swee Berkey for creating and producing a beautiful bookmark for the Caucus. The bookmark will be used as a tool to market the Caucus.
Ting James also thanked Heija Ryoo, who is retiring after the Seattle convention, for her many years of service to the Caucus. Mon Yin Lung expressed her gratitude to Heija as well. Heija stated that after thirty-six years at Southern Illinois University she was ready for retirement and personal fun. She hoped the Caucus would continue to grow.
A Caucus member noted that the current bylaws should be revised. Another member proposed that a committee be formed to look into the matter and draft revised bylaws.
Andrew Evans asked people who were interested in going to the Bruce Lee Exhibit on Wednesday, July 16 to meet in front of the Exhibit Hall at 11:30 a.m.
IX. Adjournment
The business meeting was adjourned at 6:20 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Hu
Treasurer’s Report
Opening balance July 2003: $628.32.
Income: members donation $150.00
Expenses: bookmarks $20
Balance September, 30, 2003: $758.32
Yuan Yao
Annual Banquet
Dinner Anyone? (Or Sated in Seattle) 
On a warm, bright Tuesday evening, an eager group of food connoisseurs hiked several blocks to what proved to be a sumptuous gourmet feast at China Harbor. Located on the west side of Lake Union, China Harbor sits on the water’s edge, its wide glass windows overlooking the boats anchored dockside and birds flitting across the water in their endless search for food. For the hardy group that tramped through unfamiliar neighborhoods, jaywalked across busy boulevards, and zigzagged through hazardous construction sites, the search was over!
Nothing prepared us for the wondrous array of dishes that even the Iron Chef would have a hard time competing with! Plate after plate of mouth-watering, delicately flavored, palate-pleasing varieties of food emerged from the kitchen, each one awaited with great anticipation by everyone at the table. The menu was not for the faint of heart (stomach?) but for the sophisticated diner with a highly developed palate.
As with most Chinese multi-course dinners, the first offering is always a plate of various cold delicacies—from jellyfish and drunken chicken to tofu beehive style—just enough to whet our appetites and awaken our taste buds. The seafood soup that followed was delicious, with little bits of crabmeat floating in a rich broth, sprinkled with green onions. The steamed prawns came next; they were humongous, pink and tender, and finger-lickin’ good! We could smell the aroma of the next dish even before it reached our table—succulent braised pork shoulder with sea cucumber. It was so tender the meat fell away from the bone and was richly flavored with a variety of exotic spices. Tofu is so versatile that one can pair it with almost anything and it becomes a gourmand’s delight. So the next dish, stuffed tofu with shrimp paste, was a hit; the otherwise bland tofu absorbed the richness of the lightly seasoned but tasty shrimp paste.
Wait! We are not done yet! If variety is the spice of life, bring on the duck! Duck with sweet rice stuffing—golden-skinned meaty duck meat with a delicious sweet rice stuffing of mushrooms, nuts and various tasty tidbits. Of course, we mustn’t forget the other important food group: vegetables. Even with a simple dish of seasonal vegetables with mushrooms, the chef did not disappoint us. The vegetables were crisp and green and lightly sautéed with large pieces of black mushrooms. A seafood dinner would not be complete without fish, so we waited eagerly for the next dish—sweet and sour sea bass with pine nuts. The naturally sweet and tasty meat was firm and the rich sauce only enhanced the flavor. Since this was a Chinese feast, rice was a necessity and it was served last in case there was any diner still hungry after eight courses. The special fried rice was adequately seasoned with bits of dried scallop and egg white, with a touch of green from the finely sliced green onions.
Dessert is usually not the highlight of a Chinese meal but again we were not disappointed. Rather than the usual fruit cocktail/jello mixture or the boring fortune cookie, we were served with sweet rice cakes with a sweet bean filling. Even though we were full and hard-pressed to find room for another morsel, we "forced" ourselves to savor this last dish, lending truth to the notion that "there’s always room for dessert!" To cleanse our palate, we also received a plate of mixed fresh fruits.
Kudos to the person who ordered the dishes—all were wonderful, met our expectations, and even surpassed our group’s high culinary standards. The seemingly endless stream of dishes from the kitchen, preceded by the different aromas wafting through the dining room were all unique creations of a chef well-versed in his art. We would have given him a standing ovation if he had only made an appearance. They were authentic "broke-da-mouth" (Hawaiian pidgin for delicious) dishes, so "ono" (also delicious) that we went home dreaming of the next AALL when we can once again sample the delights of Asian cuisine in a different city!
So next time, when someone asks "Dinner anyone?", don’t hesitate! Join us!
(To verify this great dining experience, talk to any of these lucky diners: Ting James, Jean Chong, Rob Britt, Ming Lu, Qian Cui, Yuezeng Shen, Cindy Wang, Pin-sheng Hsiao, and Mon Yin Lung)
Swee Berkey
Seeing the Sites in Seattle
The Seattle meeting provided programs that covered a broad range of topics; there was definitely something for everyone. With so much to do at the conference, it was hard to get away for a few hours to see Seattle. Luckily, Caucus members were able to take breaks from their busy schedules to see some of Seattle’s attractions.
One group managed to visit the Seattle Asian Art Museum. [see photo] Located in beautiful Volunteer Park, the museum contains a distinguished Japanese collection considered one of the best in the United States, a Chinese collection spanning the Neolithic period through the nineteenth century, and famed Korean, South Asian and Southeast Asian pieces as well. Thanks to Pin-sheng Hsiao, Caucus members had a wonderful private tour led by Keith Takechi, associate museum educator. One of the highlights of the tour was the museum’s special exhibition,Discovering Buddhist Art—Seeking the Sublime. More than one hundred pieces of sculpture, paintings, ritual implements, and textiles showcased Buddhist art in India, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, and Japan from the fourth to the eighteenth century. Another memorable exhibition was Reflections on Water: Japanese Modern Prints and Paintings, which featured early twentieth-century Japanese prints and paintings dealing with water and waterfront imagery. And the Bruce Lee fans in the group were able to visit his burial spot located steps away from the museum in Volunteer Park.
Another group of Caucus members found time to visit the Experimental Music Project at the Seattle Center—a multimedia, interactive history of rock ‘n’ roll. The project gave visitors a deeper, more complete look at the roots of rock ‘n’ roll including gospel, country and the blues. A highlight of the exhibition was a profile of Seattle native Jimi Hendrix that includes pictures, costumes, and remnants of guitars that he smashed. Another interesting feature was the chance to play a tune on real instruments. [see photo] Caucus members that attended had a really great time!
David Mao
BOSTON ANNUAL MEETING
Program Proposals
(Both programs are tentatively approved for the Boston meeting)
U.S. Immigration in the post-911 world (cosponsored by Bernard E. Witkin Alameda County Law Library)
Description: The tragic events of September 11, 2001, prompted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the reorganization of federal agencies that focus on aliens. How has this affected immigration into the U.S. and the rights of aliens in the U.S? What does this mean for society as a whole? What are the best resources to track these changes? Boston immigration attorney Sharryn E. Ross will deliver an update on these developments and their implications.
Appraisal of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Legal Research
Description: Recent innovations in computing and Internet technologies have made Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) legal materials more sophisticated and more readily accessible. An Asian legal scholar will discuss the current rule of law status and future trends in these countries and how they will impact these countries’ relations with the United States. In addition, librarians will identify the best online CJK legal databases and publications, review their qualities and costs, and show the audience how to use them. The speakers also will demonstrate computer configurations to display CJK characters properly. The Foreign Comparative and International Law SIS and the Asian Law Librarians’ Caucus previously co-sponsored research programs on this topic; these two groups wish to update librarians on current CJK legal research trends and tools.