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Lennu Luzzi and his band serenade John Croce (left) with familiar Italian songs during his 90th birthday celebration in the store. (Photo by Anna Goren)

The SoDo grocery store where shopping is a passion, not a chore

by Anna Goren
Big John's Pacific Food Importer's deals in olives, cheese and love. They also know how to throw a good party.
Feb 11, 2014
Steve Sakuma, who handed over the reigns as CEO of Sakuma Brothers to Danny Weeden last year. (File photo by Ashley Stewart)

Sakuma speaks up: Farm labor pariah defends his family’s business

by Ashley Stewart
How an immigrant-owned family farm became a flashpoint for labor activism.
Feb 10, 2014
Vanna Fut breakdancing in front of a crowd. (Photo courtesy of Vanna Fut)

From gangster to breaker to peacemaker, the remarkable life of Big Lazy

by Rebecca Yeung
When I asked Vanna Fut, the subject of the recent biopic “Raskal Love,” to introduce himself, he simply said: “birth name Vanna Fut, and the street calls me Big Lazy.”
Feb 7, 2014
Guards book a new detainee into the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. The facility is run by the Geo Group, a private corrections corporation, on contract from the Department of Homeland Security

Opening their hearts to the strangers locked up in our backyard

by Sarah Stuteville
Some Tacoma families are going out of their way to make the detainees at the Northwest Detention Center feel a little more welcome.
The 2014 FIUTS CulturalFest will feature booths celebrating 35 different global cultures. (Photo by UW Admissions/Morgan Dusatko)

See the world in a day at FIUTS CulturalFest

by Michel A Riquelme Sanderson
FIUTS CulturalFest features an expo and performances representing cultures from all over the world.
Feb 6, 2014
Since 1992, Satya Nadella has brought Microsoft engineering expertise, business savvy, innovation and the ability to bring colleagues together, says Microsoft founder Bill Gates. (Photo from TechAttack.my)

India-born innovator Satya Nadella takes the helm at Microsoft

by Christina Twu
Yesterday was a historic day for Microsoft with Satya Nadella’s appointment as the company's new CEO.
Feb 5, 2014
Sung and Un “Missy” Bang, owners of The Original Deli, which is slated to close at the end of the week. (Photo by Atoosa Moinzadeh)

Immigrant shop owners downtown say they’re singled out for displacement

by Atoosa Sonia Moinzadeh
When landlords terminate the leases on small businesses, they usually have the law on their side. Is that all that matters?

Hijab Day celebrants invite non-Muslims to walk a mile in their headscarves

by Cara Romanik
How are women who wear headscarves treated in Seattle? The best way to find out is to try it for yourself.
Feb 4, 2014
Cocoa beans in a cocoa pod. These are harvested to eventually make chocolate. (Photo via Agricultural Research Service)

Global food empowerment is on our plates, activists say

by Walker Orenstein
Going vegan in the 1980s was a much different experience than it is today — especially if you were in Texas.
Daniel Winkler in the field with some prize mushrooms. (Photo courtesy Daniel Winkler)

Meet the fantastic fungus that fuels Tibet’s economy

by Casey Malone
Local mushroom hunter Daniel Winkler puts the fun in fungi.
Feb 3, 2014
La Teranga Senegalese restaurant in Columbia City. (Photo by Reagan Jackson

A hole-in-the-wall gateway to West African flavors

by Reagan Jackson
The tiny La Teranga restaurant in Columbia City is one of a small handful of West African restaurants in the Northwest.

Seattle’s Smartest Global Women: Monica Feliu-Mojer

by Aida Solomon
Monica Feliu-Mojer, a biostatistics scientist, is reshaping her field in Seattle and at home in Puerto Rico.
Feb 2, 2014
The author and her husband show off their Seahawks pride. (Photo by Alex Stonehill)

The 12th man has new arrivals to Seattle feeling right at home

by Ruchika Tulshyan
How the American football made me feel less foreign.
Jan 31, 2014
In "Beijing Meets Seattle" Actress Tang Wei plays a materialistic woman who travels to Seattle to give birth to the child of her married Beijing lover.

Movie romance wooing Chinese tourists to Seattle

by Sarah Stuteville
Chinese blockbuster "Beijing Meets Seattle" has a young generation in China swooning over our city.
A rainy day in Istanbul (Photo by Thomas Leuthard)

Stormy skies over Turkey as corruption scandal spreads

by Ekin Yasin
Can Turkey weather political scandal? Forecast gloomy.
Jan 30, 2014

New Mandarin radio shows draw Huskies out of their comfort zone

by Simon Fox
HUA-Voice Radio encourages international students to step out of their comfort zones .
People gather at Peace Arch Park on the Canadian border in December 2012 to oppose the U.S.-led Trans Pacific Partnership. (Photo by Caelie Frampton)

5 reasons to protest the Trans Pacific Partnership

by Signe Predmore
Citizens and social justice orgs rallied at Westlake on Friday to protest the largest free trade agreement since NAFTA.
Jan 29, 2014
Jeremy Lin documentary "Linsanity" will open the festival on Feb. 6.

Seattle Asian American Film Festival is back with even more Northwest flavor

by Marites Mendoza
The long yet not-so-illustrious history of Asian Americans in film includes such blots as the submissive woman and Dragon Lady types, the geek who provides comic relief (often for white counterparts), and the arch villain. All of these compound and express the overarching taint of foreignness. You don’t have to search too hard for the same […]
A street scene from Yazd, Iran. (Photo by Nate Robert).

New doors opening for travel to Iran

by Atoosa Sonia Moinzadeh
A recent boom in tourism to Iran has sparked excitement in the Seattle travel community. It’s also created a new sense of hope for Iranian American youth like me that we might finally be able to visit the country our parents fled decades ago. The Financial Times recently placed Iran at the top of its list […]
Jan 28, 2014

Photos: Krar Collective, Gabriel Teodros celebrate Ethiopian roots

by Aida Solomon
Before a diverse crowd of Ethiopians and Americans, Gabriel Teodros and the Krar Collective brought an explosion of culture, rhythm and dance to Seattle’s Town Hall on Friday. 
Jan 27, 2014