Asian Tour

Even before President Obama boarded his home-bound flight for Washington, capping a grueling weeklong Asian tour, the White House was scrambling to combat perceptions that the trip failed to produce concrete results. Compared to Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, the U.S. is putting its alliances "on a firmer footing" and has "reasserted our leadership in the region," the White House said in a statement released to reporters hours before the president's flight home. "Overall, American leadership was absent from this region for the last several years," the release said.

Tom Thibodeau waited about two decades to become an NBA head coach. It didn't take him long to be recognized as one of the best once he got the chance. Thibodeau is the NBA's coach of the year after leading the Chicago Bulls to 62 wins in his first season to tie a league record set by Paul Westphal . The Chicago Tribune first reported Thibodeau's selection, which was no surprise the way the Bulls dominated during the regular season. Now, after a tough five-game series against Indiana in the opening round of the playoffs, they'll open the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta on Monday.

Agriculture Secretary Clayton K. Yeutter will spend two weeks in meetings with agricultural leaders of four Asian nations, including time in Japan to urge it to open its markets to U.S. rice, it was announced today. The trip to Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan will be devoted to discussions of world trade reform, the new farm policy law being written by Congress and other agricultural issues. Yeutter leaves Thursday for Japan to begin the tour. The U.S.

Even before President Obama boarded his home-bound flight for Washington, capping a grueling weeklong Asian tour, the White House was scrambling to combat perceptions that the trip failed to produce concrete results. Compared to Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, the U.S. is putting its alliances "on a firmer footing" and has "reasserted our leadership in the region," the White House said in a statement released to reporters hours before the president's flight home. "Overall, American leadership was absent from this region for the last several years," the release said.

As with most players who have had a taste of golf's highest competitive level, Huntington Beach professional Mike Miles would like to go back for seconds, or in his case thirds. Miles spent two difficult years on the PGA Tour, 1986 and '89, and since then, with one notable break, he has been struggling to return. "If you play golf professionally," Miles said, "the tour is really the only place to be." It can be a tough place to reach--and stay--as Miles will tell you.

Former President Richard M. Nixon, ending an Asian tour, met Wednesday with Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Ozal. Speaking to reporters earlier, he denied Turkish press reports that he brought a message from the Reagan Administration.

The San Francisco Symphony announced Friday it will play in Shanghai on Feb. 29, the first time the orchestra has performed in China. The concert in the People's Municipal Auditorium will be the last on a 15-concert Asian tour by the orchestra. Pianist Rudolf Serkin, 84, is scheduled to join the symphony for Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto. The tour, opening on Feb. 9 in Hong Kong, will also take the orchestra to Taiwan and Japan.

Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, expressing outrage at widespread abuses in the Philippine economy under the rule of Ferdinand E. Marcos, pledged his government's assistance Monday in helping President Corazon Aquino rebuild the country. Hawke met with Aquino at the presidential palace guest house on the final day of an Asian tour that has also taken him to Japan and China. Australia has announced an $18-million aid program to the Philippines this year, 50% above that of 1985.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III was ill in bed with a fever today but planned to continue his four-nation Asian tour as scheduled. Baker was checked by a doctor and will leave Tuesday for Mongolia and then Siberia, the last two legs of his trip, State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said. The nature of his illness was not immediately clear. Baker attended only the first hour of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting at the Oriental Hotel.

Former President Richard M. Nixon today returned to Shwedagon Pagoda, where he rang the wishing bell in 1953 when he was vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower. Local belief has it that visitors who ring the bell will return to Burma. On Sunday, the first day of a two-day visit to this Asian nation, Nixon visited the shrine of the world's largest reclining Buddha and met with Burmese leader Ne Win and President U San Yu. Nixon, accompanied on an Asian tour by former Treasury Secretary John B.

The culinary tag "Southeast Asian" has cachet in American foodie circles even though it has not yet achieved the all-purpose buzzword status of "Mediterranean" (though I seem to recall that someone has invented a "Southeast Asian turkey burger"). Books about the food of this vast and complex region are multiplying fast. And as with Mediterranean, surveys that encompass at least a few locales somehow get cooks grasping principles faster than ones focused on the food of one place.

Michael Jackson visited a Tokyo orphanage Sunday during his first round of public appearances since being acquitted of child molestation charges last year. Jackson was in the capital to accept MTV Japan's "Legend Award" during an earlier ceremony at Yoyogi Olympic Stadium. There, he choked up as he thanked fans for their loyalty. His visit to Japan is the first leg of an Asian swing that will include stops in Singapore; Shanghai, China; and Hong Kong.

"Things happen," Gidon Kremer said, exuding much more calm than you might expect from someone who had left a $3-million violin on a train a few hours earlier. "I can't justify myself," added the acclaimed Latvian-born violinist, after being reunited with his fiddle Wednesday at Meyerhoff Hall, where he is the guest artist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra through Saturday. "I can only explain."

Steve Flesch has played golf with snakes, and maybe eaten some too. You never know what's under that sauce in Manila or Calcutta. Flesch nearly gave up professional golf six times. Those would be the six times Flesch didn't make it to the finals of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament. Year after year, Flesch would come to Kentucky from sweating it out on the Asian Tour--literally sweating, until his pants left puddles in his shoes--and then bomb out in qualifying school.

Feeling his way through the nuances of Sino-American diplomacy, Mayor Richard Riordan scored subtle political victories Monday, but failed to win a major Chinese shipping line's firm commitment to make Los Angeles rather than Long Beach its West Coast port of entry. Executives of the firm, Cosco, did not reject Riordan's overtures, and expressed continued interest in the port.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich urged the Japanese on Monday to open their markets wider to foreigners, telling business leaders that increased competition is in the best interests of both Japan and the U.S. The Georgia Republican made his plea to heads of industry who included the chairmen of Mitsubishi Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., a spokesman for the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations said.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich urged the Japanese on Monday to open their markets wider to foreigners, telling business leaders that increased competition is in the best interests of both Japan and the U.S. The Georgia Republican made his plea to heads of industry who included the chairmen of Mitsubishi Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., a spokesman for the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations said.

"Things happen," Gidon Kremer said, exuding much more calm than you might expect from someone who had left a $3-million violin on a train a few hours earlier. "I can't justify myself," added the acclaimed Latvian-born violinist, after being reunited with his fiddle Wednesday at Meyerhoff Hall, where he is the guest artist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra through Saturday. "I can only explain."

As with most players who have had a taste of golf's highest competitive level, Huntington Beach professional Mike Miles would like to go back for seconds, or in his case thirds. Miles spent two difficult years on the PGA Tour, 1986 and '89, and since then, with one notable break, he has been struggling to return. "If you play golf professionally," Miles said, "the tour is really the only place to be." It can be a tough place to reach--and stay--as Miles will tell you.

Agriculture Secretary Clayton K. Yeutter will spend two weeks in meetings with agricultural leaders of four Asian nations, including time in Japan to urge it to open its markets to U.S. rice, it was announced today. The trip to Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan will be devoted to discussions of world trade reform, the new farm policy law being written by Congress and other agricultural issues. Yeutter leaves Thursday for Japan to begin the tour. The U.S.