Tonight, the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th U.S. president, hundreds of partygoers will gather at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington to celebrate the role of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the historic election. President-elect Obama may not be there — the organizers of the Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala are still hoping for a surprise appearance at the unofficial ball — but 1,500 chocolate-dipped fortune cookies from a Southern California company will be making a star turn. For the full story click here
