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“The frustrating thing for me is that if it was just let’s do the right thing all the time and prioritize all the people that need prioritizing, but that’s not necessarily the case.” Nguyen recognizes that when he entered the political scene, he was a purist. He had dreams and the will to reach them, but the ins and outs of the structure stood in the way. 13
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THE INSIDE STORY
AT THE MOVIES ‘Dragon Ball Super’ bests ‘Beast’ at box office 7
Big
Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho speaking to reporters before the conference. State Sen. Joe Nguyen at work at the Washington State Legislative. Ichiro Suzuki, center, reacts as he is applauded by members of the Seattle Mariners in September 2019
WORLD NEWS Hanae Mori, Japanese designer for films, empress, dies at 96 9
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLYWalking around the room and chatting with reporters in Korean and English, Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho welcomed each personally. Still using both languages, he then introduced a pro gram to help local busi nesses increase exports to South Korea. Finally, he quipped, “I realize my job as port commissioner is to create jobs, not to take see CHO on 16
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Nicki debuts at #1, Tyga listens to feedback, Kumail goes serious 8
It’s hard to believe it’s already been four years since a scrappy, youthful, and impassioned Joe Nguyen ran to represent the 34th District in Washington’s State Senate and triumphed. Since then, the nation has been embroiled in the pandemic, rising crime against Asian Americans, climate crisis, and international conflict. Meanwhile, re-election is coming up, and Nguyen won a commendable 83% of votes in the August primary against his competitors, one of whom happened to be the owner of the same coffee shop where the Weekly first interviewed him. Nguyen is a little older, a little wiser, or call it jaded. The determined set of his jaw remains, but the character of it has slightly changed. It’s now the character of a person that has come up against obstacles, and learned how to get around them.
VOL 41 NO 35 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 FREE 40 YEARS YOUR VOICE PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA ■ 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com
State Senator Joe Nguyen fights on for underrepresented communities
By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Funds assistanceand for export to South Korea
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will induct Ichi ro Suzuki into the team’s Hall of Fame (HOF) on Aug. 27 when Seattle faces Cleveland—the first Asian player in the team’s history to do so. He is also widely expect ed to become the first Asian player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when he becomes eligible in Suzuki—more2025. pop ularly known as Ichi ro—will be honored in a series of events this weekend. see ICHIRO on 6 weekend for Ichiro
see NGUYEN on
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Densho announces new executive director
Ostwald Kawamura previously served as the executive director of the Nikkei Place Foundation. She holds a master’s degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ostwald Kawamura was born to Japanese immigrants in San Diego, California. She lives with her husband, a tenured professor at the University of British Columbia, and their daughter in Vancouver. As a graduate of the University of Washington, she has maintained a strong network of friends and family in Seattle. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Ostwald Kawamura. “I feel honored to have been selected to lead Densho, an organization that I have long admired and that has played such a critical role in preserving Japanese American historical memory.”
■ COMMUNITY NEWS
2 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022asianweekly northwest 40 YEARS
On Aug. 16, more than 10 CID businesses and community leaders met with City Attorney Ann Davidson to show her first hand the challenges the community faces, such as vandalism, graffiti, robberies, homeless camps, and trash in the area. Davidson visited Modern Trading, Dr. Xiao Ming, Vital Tea, the now-closed House of Hong, and other businesses. Accompanying Davidson were Denise Moriguchi, Elaine Ko, James Wong, Andy Wong, Cindy Li, Mei Jui Lin, and others. The CID tour was organized by Tony Au Naomi Ostwald Kawamura Viet Thanh Nguyen
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In response to her post, John Cummings, commu nication, press and publicity chairperson for the branch, said, “I am concerned about this person and the charges that were made. We don’t want to overlook or de humanize or, in any way, cause anybody problems or concern intentionally or un intentionally.” Toolsie’s final day as president will be Aug. 31, with the branch’s first vice president, Tiara Robinson, taking over the position. Toolsie said she was initial ly hesitant to take a leader ship role because she is not Black but did so after learn ing of the diverse back grounds of the founders.
“We are so grateful to Congresswoman Jayapal for helping us bring economic opportunity to people that have been most impacted by the ravages of COVID, systemic racism, or war in their home countries,” said Janice Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhood House. Viet Thanh Nguyen to receive Inspiring Writer Award
The American Writers Museum (AWM) will host its annual OnWord benefit in September to raise funds for the museum’s operations. One of the evening’s honorees is Viet Thanh Nguyen, a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, who will receive the Inspiring Writer Award. Grove Mower, vice chair of the AWM Board of Trustees, said, “There is no one more deserving… [Viet] has made such positive contributions to literature and helped empower so many young writers. His request for the prize money to go directly to the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network to support their work of nurturing writers and artists just shows how remarkable he is.” City Attorney visited the CID
City Attorney Ann Davidson outside chiropractor Dr. Xiaoming’s clinic in the CID
The president of the Or ange County, California branch of the NAACP an nounced her resignation in a Facebook post on Aug. 2— accusing the organization of anti-Asian racism. Dr. Vanessa Toolsie, the first South Asian leader of the organization, held the post for less than six months. She was first elect ed as vice president in 2021. In an extensive Facebook post from the Orange Coun try branch’s page, Tool sie said she had informed other leaders in the branch of her intentions to leave weeks prior. She accused the branch of purposefully excluding her from their annual gala and sabotaging her with neglected emails and misinformation regard ing meetings. Moreover, she noted that “a loud and discriminatory few” repeatedly attacked her heritage in both emails and meetings. Toolsie is of Indian descent and was born in Trinidad. The post, which was shared on Sunday morning before being deleted and reposted later that evening, read: “I have tried to resolve this internally for months, but no action to curb the ha rassment and racist margin alization was taken by supe riors prior to my resignation announcement.
Executive Committee members and branch members who have re peatedly tried to stand up for me, loudly and proudly, amidst the con stant attacks in emails, at meetings, and otherwise; I truly appreciate you.”
■ IN THE NEWS
Orange County NAACP president resigns citing alleged anti-Asian racism
Dr. Vanessa Toolsie
Thank you to all of the branch
Neighborhood House receives $275K Neighborhood House received $275,000 in Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act funding this month. This is part of an additional $4.1 million in federal funding for key projects Rep. Pramila Jayapal secured for our region. The funding will allow Neighborhood House to hire additional dedicated, multilingual staff members that have the expertise and community trust to support people on a path to a living wage job and wealth for themselves and future generations.
From left: Ali Scego, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Joseph Holmes, Arturo Martinez-Guijosa, and Janice Deguchi.
Naomi Ostwald Kawamura was elected unanimously by Den sho’s board and staff search committee to suc ceed Founding Executive Director Tom Ikeda She will join Densho’s staff in September and formally succeed Ikeda on Nov. 2. “We had a very com petitive candidate pool, but as an educator with specialized knowledge of Japanese American histo ry, and with her strong background in nonprofit leadership and administration, Naomi has the rare combination of skills and experiences we were looking for,” said Densho Board Chair Ron Tanemura in a news release.
NAMES
“Although the descriptor ‘Asian’ in this context is not at all pejorative, and is geographically accurate, its association with a large insect that inspires fear and is under eradication may bolster anti-Asian sentiment among some people,” he wrote. The nicknames not only don’t help people distinguish the insect—there are multiple hornets from Asia, for one, and a species already known as Asian hornet, for two—but also may alienate people from participating in the eradication, he explained. “Northern giant hornet” acknowledges the hornet’s most eye-catching attribute, and makes the change less of a hassle for scientists and public outreach alike. With another hornet species receiving the new common name ‘southern giant hornet,’ “a Google search for just ‘giant hornet’ would return results for both [species]. So, keeping the [geographic] descriptors for both works to avoid such confusion,” said Joe Rominiecki of the Entomological SocietyAmerica.of Other possible names were “sparrow hornet,” “temperate giant hornet” and “common giant hornet.” The response has been “supportive” so far, Rominiecki said. Agencies involved with insect monitoring, like the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, have already updated their web page for the species, and Washington’s agriculture department has said it will adopt the new name and update its engagement resources. Whether people will use the new name is anyone’s guess. Last summer, the entomological society renamed the Spongy Moth, which previously had a bigoted name. “Based on what I am seeing with spongy moth, it [may] take some time or even never happen,” said WSDA’s Karla Salp. She still gets Google alerts for the previous name, “and I notice that in places where the insect has been called by the same name for over a century, the ESA name has not yet taken hold.”
“We’ll continue to trap and attempt to eradicate the hornets until either we have three years of no detections or they have become established and eradication is no longer possible,” she said.
“Northern giant hornet is both scientifically accurate and easy to understand, and it avoids evoking fear or discrimination,” said the society’s president, Dr. Jessica Ware, in a news release.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Dr. Chris Looney submitted new names for this hornet and two other closely related insects in a proposal received by the Entomological Society ofAmerica on April 4, 2022. He suggested ‘giant hornet’ or ‘northern giant hornet’ as strong alternatives to the society, which has about 5,800 members.Looney pointed out the hornet’s potential impact on ecosystems and agriculture, amplified by publicity of a $2 million-plus eradication program, made it a matter of interest and concern and therefore worth naming. But more than that, he wrote, the existing nicknames were problematic.
3AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022YOUR VOICE asianweekly northwest ■ COMMUNITY NEWS RESTAU R ANT • Catering • Cocktails • Valet parking • BanquetSun.-Thurs.facilitiesHours10a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m. - 1:30 a.m. 655 S. King St. Seattle 206-622-7714 or 622-7372 Establishedin1935 TAI TUNG By Hannah Weinberger / Crosscut.com REPRINTED WITH PERMISSIONTheworld’slargest hornet has a new—less contentious— name. The hornet popularly called the “Asian giant hornet” and “murder hornet” is now the northern giant hornet, the country’s leading entomological society has decided.The story behind those monikers is both complicated and unfortunate.Whenthe large, invasive hornet from Asia landed in Washington state in 2019, it arrived with a scientific name— Vespa mandarinia —but no name that the general public would recognize. So when the New York Times described it as a “murder hornet” in an article about efforts to eradicate it a few months later, withample reference to the hornet’s powerful stings and methods of eating honeybees, the provocative nickname filled the vacuum.State and federal agencies asked people to monitor for the hornet, characterized as a threat to ecosystems and agriculture, and put out public service announcements akin to wanted posters. The country meme’d its way into a panic, killing many harmless insects along the way. Concern grew over the nickname—as well the increasingly popular “Asian giant hornet” alternative—not only misrepresenting the species but also escalating anti-Asian xenophobia.It’stime to update our vocabulary, entomologists say. More than two years later and prompted by a Washington state entomologist, the country’s leading entomological society gave the species a “common” name it hopes the general public will use instead: northern giant hornet. The new name not only better reflects the diversity of hornet species around the world but also aligns with Entomological Society of America naming guidelines, which were updated last summer to be more inclusive.
‘Murder hornet’ gets new, more ethical, name
Meanwhile, WSDA’s trapping efforts to eradicate the northern giant hornet in Washington are in full swing, with 1,150 total traps spread over 310 square miles. Salp said the hornet is still a priority insect for WSDA’s pest program, and that eradication “still looks possible but is not guaranteed.”
The fact that the northern giant hornet’s nicknames were only around for a few years, may give the new name an edge, she said, “but there has been massive media attention around this insect, so collectively it is mostly know as ‘murder hornet’ I would say. It is easier to change policy than practice.”
“The victim was transported to a local hospital and thank goodness her injuries were not life-threatening,” said Scott, who did not identify the woman.
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Three children ages 11, 13, and 14 and an 18-year-old beat and robbed a 70-year-old Asian woman last month inside her San Francisco apartment building and two of them have been arrested, police said on Aug. 15. The woman was outside her Chinatown building when the suspects approached her on July 31 and spoke to her, said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott. Unable to understand them because of a language barrier, she went into the building’s lobby and the suspects followed her, Scott said. Then they beat and robbed her before fleeing, he said. The attack was recorded on surveillance video.
The attack came amid a wave of assaults against Asian Americans in San Francisco and across the country that started when the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S.Scott called the ages of the younger suspects sad and shocking. He said detectives identified the suspects as 18-year-old Darryl Moore, of Oakland, and the three juveniles. The names of the juveniles won’t be released, and the 11-year-old won’t be charged in the case due to his age. The other three face robbery, elder abuse, false imprisonment and conspiracy charges, Scott said. Moore, the 11-year-old and 13-year-old suspects were arrested by Santa Clara County authorities on Aug. 10 by officers with the Milpitas Police Department on accusations of an unrelated crime there, he said. Moore is still detained at the Santa Clara County jail. It wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. The 13-year-old suspect was booked at the Santa Clara Juvenile Hall and was being transferred to the custody of Alameda County, where officials booked him on the warrant for his San Francisco arrest, Scott said. The 11-year-old was transferred from Santa Clara to the custody of the Alameda County Assessment Center. The 14-yearold has not been located but there is a warrant for his arrest, Scott said.
By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cops: Suspects in attack on elderly woman are ages 11 to 18 Hate crimes alleged in robberies of Sacramento Asian women
Sealed bids/proposals will be received by the King County Procurement and Payables Section through the County’s E-Procurement Supplier Portal system for the following listed contract E-Procurementopportunities.Resources on how to submit a bid/ proposal electronically, view any current bid opportunities, express interest, communicate with the Contract Specialist via Message app, successfully submit a bid/proposal, and more are provided on the County’s website: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/registration.KingCountyencouragesminoritybusiness enterprise participation.
King County does not discriminate based on disability in its programs, services, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. KC000664 OPENS: 9/6/2022
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A man and a teenager arrested in connec tion with robberies that targeted Asian women in Sacramento are now facing hate crime allegations, police said. Sacramento County prosecutors this week added a hate crime enhancement to robbery charges filed against both suspects, who have been in custody since June, the Sacramento Police De partment said in an Aug. 17 news re lease. The robberies occurred amid a wave of assaults against Asian Americans in California and across the country that started when the coronavirus pandem ic took hold in the U.S. The crimes occurred in April and May as the women were leaving shop ping centers. Victims were injured in physical assaults and thousands of dol lars in cash, jewelry and other property were taken. Police located a suspect vehicle and a search turned up evidence related to the robberies, police said. Detectives then identified two sus pects and arrested a 17-year-old male in Berkeley on June 15 and 20-year-old Latravion Mccockran in Sacramento on June “Detectives22. continued their inves tigation after the arrests and located additional evidence indicating that the victims were targeted due to their race,” the statement said. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office added the hate crime enhancement to the robbery charges on Aug. 15, police said.
4 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 40 YEARSasianweekly northwest ■ NATIONAL NEWS
University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said the repeal could set the scene for future challenges to the constitution.
“We seek the government’s assurance that the religious freedom of churches will be protected as we continue to teach against same-sex sexual acts and highlight such acts,“ the National Council of Churches said in a statement. Pastors and church workers must be protected from charges of “hate speech“ and not be compelled to adopt solely “LGBTQ-affirming” strategies in their counselling, it said. The council expressed concerns the repeal could lead to LGBTQ culture expanding and called for redress for Christians who face “reverse discrimination.”
They expressed disappointment with the government’s plan to introduce further legislation or constitutional amendments to ban same-sex unions that signal LGBTQ people as unequal citizens. Such a decision will “undermine the secular character of our constitution, codify further discrimination into supreme law and tie the hands of future Parliaments,” they warned.
Religious groups were guarded in their reaction to Lee’s comments, saying the changes mustn’t hinder their religious freedom to articulate views on public morality nor cause any “reverse discrimination” on those who doesn’t support homosexuality.
Gays hail Singapore sex-ban repeal, see long way to equality
The Alliance of Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of Singapore, which represents over 80 local churches, was more blunt, calling it a “an extremely regrettable decision.“
More than 20 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups—including Pink Dot SG that organizes an annual rally that attracts thousands of supporters—said the repeal was long overdue to show that “statesanctioned discrimination has no place in Singapore.” They called it a “hard-won victory, a triumph of love over fear“ that will finally enable victims of bullying, rejection and harassment to heal. However, the groups said the repeal was merely “the first step on a long road towards full equality for LGBTQ people“ amid other areas of discrimination they face at home, in schools, workplaces, and in housing and health systems.
Christian and Muslim groups said heterosexual marriage must be protected in the constitution before Section 377A is repealed and that there should be no further liberalization of policies.
Lee, however, vowed the repeal will be limited and not shake Singapore’s traditional family and societal norms including how marriage is defined, what children are taught in schools, what is shown on television and general public conduct. He said the government will amend the constitution to “safeguard the institution of marriage” and prevent any constitutional challenge to allow same-sex unions. The timing of the repeal or the constitutional change was not disclosed.
first Asian government to legalize gay marriage in 2019, and Thailand recently approved plans allowing samesexNationalunions.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong caught many by surprise when he announced in his National Day Rally speech on Aug. 21 that the government would repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, a colonial-era law that made sex between men punishable by up to two years in jail.Since 2007, when Parliament last debated whether to repeal Section 377A, its position was to keep the law but not enforce it. But Lee said societal norms have shifted considerably and many Singaporeans will now accept decriminalization.
“Even as we hold on to different values, aspirations and orientations, I don’t think we should let hate and contempt for differences to win,” he told Channel News Asia. Section 377A was introduced under British colonial rule in the 1930s. Version of the law remain in other former British colonies, including neighboring Malaysia. But laws have liberalized in recent years in Asia. India’s top court decriminalized gay sex in a 2018 ruling. Taiwan became the
By TOH EE MING and EILEEN NG ASSOCIATED PRESS SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore’s gay community hailed a plan to decriminalize sex between men as “a triumph of love over fear“ but warned there is still a long way to equality and new bans on same-sex unions could entrench discrimination against them.
5AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022YOUR VOICE asianweekly northwest ■ WORLD NEWS
“The decision to remove a moral marker as weighty as S377A signals a rewriting of acceptable sexual relationships, and celebrates homosexuality as being characteristic of a mainstream social environment,“ it said.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said the church is not seeking to criminalize the LGBQT community but to protect the family and marriage and its rights to teach and practice on such topicsSingapore’sunhindered.topIslamic leader, Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, said the repeal was a “tough balancing act” and steps to preserve traditional values were crucial.
“On the surface, it does look like one step forward, two steps backward, but my sense is that the repeal could be seen as a foot in the door, which could pave the way to future challenges to the constitution on the current definition of family and marriage,” Tan said.
ICHIRO from 1 His induction ceremony on Sat urday will begin at approximately 6:25 p.m. and will be live streamed. Ichiro Mariners HOF Weekend Post-Game Fireworks will take place on Aug. 26. Ichiro T-Shirt Night will take place on Saturday, Aug. 27 and Ichiro Mariners Hall of Fame Bob blehead Day will take place on Aug. 28, with bobbleheads going to the first 20,000 fans at T-Mobile Park.Suzuki spent parts of 14 seasons with the Mariners before retiring in March 2019 after Seattle opened the season with games in his home country of Japan. Suzuki was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, won two batting titles and was the 2001 Rookie of the Year and MVP in his debut season with the Mariners.
6 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 40 YEARSasianweekly northwest View the solution on page 14 The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.” The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article. Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission. AssuntA ng assunta@nwasianweekly.comPublisher John Liu Associate john@nwasianweekly.comPublisher Ruth BAyAng editor@nwasianweekly.comEditor hAn Bui Layout & Web han@nwasianweekly.comEditor 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com Account Executives KeLLy LiAo kelly@nwasianweekly.com John Liu john@nwasianweekly.com geoRge hiRA ghira@nwasianweekly.com THRU FEB 19, 2023 EXHIBIT, “WE ARE CHANGING THE TIDE: COMMUNITY POWER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE” The Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle Thu-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 the-tidewingluke.org/we-are-changing-p.m. KIKI25,AUG26FUNNYMAMA’S NIGHT OUT LIVE IN SEATTLE Asian American female comedians, headlined by Crazy Woke Asians founder, Kiki Yeung perform Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m. Unexpected Productions 1428 Post Alley, Seattle Aug. 26, 6:45 p.m. Rendezvous Jewel Box 2505Theater1st Ave, Seattle kikifunnymamasnightout.htmlcrazywokeasians.com/Tickets: A26PANEL DISCUSSION, “THE MEANING OF ICHIRO” Ellis Pavilion, T-Mobile Park 12:10-1:40 p.m. C-ID27SUMMER CINEMA RETURNS, MOVIE “MAIKA: THE GIRL FROM ANOTHER GALAXY” Hing Hay Park Free A PANEL DISCUSSION, “THE IMPACT OF ICHIRO ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PACIFIC” Nisei Veterans Memorial Hall, 1212 S. King St., Seattle 1 p.m. KIKI28FUNNY MAMA’S NIGHT OUT LIVE IN SEATTLE Asian American female comedians, headlined by Crazy Woke Asians founder, Kiki Yeung perform 6 Thep.m.Crocodile, Here-After Comedy Club 2322 2nd Ave, Seattle kikifunnymamasnightout.htmlcrazywokeasians.com/Tickets: CHEF29SHOWCASE 2022 - ASIAN (AAJA)JOURNALISTSAMERICANASSOCIATIONSEATTLE Centilia Cultural Center 1660 S Roberto Maestas Festival St., Seattle 6-8:30 p.m. Early bird rates: $40 for AAJA members; $50 for non members (order by Aug. 19) Normal rates: $45 for AAJA members; $55 for non members (order by Aug. 28) Students: $25 (order by Aug. 28) AFTER30HOUSE TRIVIA Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle 5:30-6:30 p.m. INDIANCLASSICALUSHACLUB1SEPMEETINGWITHSRINIVASAN,DANCER 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. For zoom link, rotaryofseattleid@gmail.comcontact 20229 SCIDPDA ANNUAL FUNDRAISER: JAZZ IN THE COURTYARD 5:30 p.m. Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave. S., Seattle Tickets at bit.ly/scidpdajazz C-ID10NIGHT MARKET FESTIVAL Seattle’s C-ID 1-9 Signp.m.upto be a https://bit.ly/3zi6qmuvendor, AAPI17HOMETOWN HEROES CELEBRATION Terry’s Kitchen, 5625 119th Ave. S.E., 11:30Bellevuea.m.-2 p.m. Registration cacaseattle.orgat JOIN3-9OCTUSINCAMBODIA TO EXPERIENCE A WEEK-LONG JOURNEY TO THE UNIQUE CAMBODIAN CULTURE maxglobalexp.org CISC’S1550TH ANNIVERSARY FRIENDSHIP GALA The Westin Bellevue, 600 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue 5:30 org/50thGalacisc-seattle.ejoinme.p.m. ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR
OTHER EVENTS DURING ICHIRO’S INDUCTION WEEKEND:
AUG. 26 12:10 P.M. “The meaning of Ichiro” panel discussion Emceed by Mona Lee Locke at Ellis Pavilion, T-Mobile Park AUG. 27 1 P.M. “The impact of Ichiro on both sides of the Pacific” panel discussion Emceed by Lori Matsukawa and hosted by the Nisei Veterans Committee
at box office
7AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 asianweekly northwest YOUR VOICE
“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” topped the charts in its first weekend in theaters, with $20.1 million in ticket sales ‘Beast’
By LINDSEY BAHR AP FILM WRITER Idris Elba may go head-to-head with a lion in “Beast,” but the action flick was no match for the latest “Dragon Ball” movie at the North American box office last weekend.
see MOVIES on 16 ■ AT THE MOVIES ‘Dragon Ball Super’ bests
By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Nicki debuts at Tyga#1listens to feedback Kumail goes serious A-pop! APIs in popular culture!
DenverofCityCredit:
It is often disorienting for me to report that celebrities are behaving really reasonably and almost boringly human. I think it’s because my brain has been pickled with too much reality TV? In any case, this column features adults acting like adults. I am scared with optimism for the future, too!
“Super Freaky Girl” samples Rick James’ 1981 hit, “Super Freak.”
MINAJ IS ON TOP FOR ‘SUPER FREAKY’ Nicki Minaj has accomplished something pretty impressive. Her latest single, “Super Freaky Girl,” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first solo female rap artist to do so since 1998. (The last time this was accomplished was by Lauryn Hill for her song, “Doo Wop (That Thing)”).
Fun fact: Minaj’s birth name is Onika Tanya Maraj. Her dad was Indo-Trinidadian, and her mom is Afro-Trinidadian. Thing I learned today: IndoTrinidadians and Tobagonians are the largest ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago, which are known for the prominence of African and Indian cultures because—brace yourself for some terrible history—after people see A-POP on 15
Removing the plaque “eliminates a misleading narrative about Denver’s historic Chinatown that has stigmatized the Chinese people then and now,” said William Wei, a historian at the University of Colorado Boulder and a board member for Colorado Asian Pacific United, in a statement. The anti-Chinese riot occurred on the night of Halloween in 1880. It started as a scuffle between two Chinese men and several white patrons at one of Denver’s saloons before snowballing into an outof-control brawl on Wazee Street, according to History Colorado. Eventually, some 3,000 white people formed a mob and began terrorizing the city’s Chinese residents. They destroyed Chinese-owned property and businesses, beat Chinese residents and ultimately killed a Chinese man named Look Young. Members of the white mob caused $53,000 worth of property damage (about $1.5 million today), but they were never held accountable for their actions. The city’s Chinese residents were left to pick up the pieces on their own and were never compensated for the damage.
KumailActor-comedianNanjiani
8 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022asianweekly northwest 40 YEARS ■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community removed an anti-Chinese plaque from a street in what used to be the city’s Chinatown earlier this month.
We had a chance to right a wrong,” Hancock told KUSA-TV. “It’s never too late to apologize for something that’s happened.”
The plaque’s text was riddled with inaccuracies and offensive statements. It described the incident as a “Chinese riot,” instead of an anti-Chinese riot. It also included the derogatory phrase “Hop Alley” to explain where the incident took place, referring to the area’s opium dens. It heralded the white people who “protected” Chinese immigrants, going so far as to include some of their names. At the same time, the plaque did not name Young, the Chinese man killed in the riot.
Removing the plaque
Did y’all know that Chippendales, the hottest male revue show in Las Vegas, was founded by Indian American entrepreneur Somen “Steve” Banerjee? Okay, well that’s not even the wildest part of the story. Banerjee was also guilty of murdering a man he considered a competitor and rival. Why am I taking you on this grisly trip down memory lane? Because actor Kumail Nanjiani is slated to portray Banerjee in the upcoming Hulu limited series, “Welcome to Chippendales.” (Notably, fellow non-white dudes Rajiv Joseph and Mehar Sethi are writers of this series!) I am excited for Nanjiani’s continuing turn into more dramatic roles. I am excited for another true crime miniseries (because I am totally that person). And I am excited for all of the 80s period costumes—and the hair! All of the luxurious hair! There’s no air date for this series yet, but it will probably come out sometime in 2023.
■ NATIONAL NEWS
“While the city cannot erase past injustices against Chinese immigrants and the Asian American and Pacific Island communities, the city owes them a long-overdue apology,” the city officials wrote. “An admission of the wrongs committed and its failure to correct them is a first step towards recognizing and honoring their contributions and can contribute to racial reconciliation.”
City of Denver removes anti-Chinese plaque
Pizzello/Invision/APChrisbyPhoto
NANJIANI IS GOING FULL STEVE CARRELL
The plaque, which read “Hop Alley/Chinese Riot of 1880,” marked an anti-Chinese riot that destroyed the city’s Chinatown and left one person dead. It was removed on Aug. 8 following mounting criticism about its offensive and incomplete description of the deadly event, which is believed to have been the city’s first race riot.
9AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 asianweekly northwest YOUR VOICE
TOKYO (AP) — Designer Hanae Mori, known for her elegant signature butterfly motifs, numerous cinema fashions and the wedding gown of Japan’s empress, has died, her office said. She was 96. Mori symbolized the rise of Japan as a modern, fashionable nation and the rise of the working woman. She died at her Tokyo home Aug. 11, a few days after developing a mild fever, according to the Hanae Mori Office. She had been examined by a doctor at her home, but no specific cause of death was given.
LipchitzPhoto/MichelAP
Hanae Mori Japanese designer for films, diesempress,at96
By YURI KAGEYAMA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Empress Masako wore a Hanae Mori wedding gown adorned with rose-petal patterns when she married Emperor Naruhito, then the crown prince, in 1993. Mori also designed uniforms for Japan Airlines flight attendants, bank clerks, high school students and the Japanese team at the Barcelona Olympics. The uniforms were not flamboyant like her runway designs, but tastefully professional, appropriate for their roles. With her motto, “You feel decent, no matter where in the world you wear them,” Mori wanted to give confidence and dignity to those wearing her designs. Her umbrellas and scarves, often decked with colorful butterflies, were a status symbol with working women. She opened her studio in 1951 and was a pioneer of a generation of Japanese designers who became globally prominent. Her first New York show, held in 1965, was acclaimed as “East meets West.” She opened her Paris studio in 1977 and built an international business that extended to perfumes, handbags and publishing as well as fashion.Reputed for infusing Japanese elements inspired by the kimono, Mori designed costumes for hundreds of Japanese films, in the 1950s and 1960s, dressing star actresses like Mie Kitahara, Sayuri Yoshinaga and Shima Iwashita, in some of the most renowned cinematic pieces the era produced.Theelaborate costumes she designed for singer Hibari Misora are also well-known among fashion buffs. She also designed for the opera, including “Madame Butterfly” in Milan in 1985, and the Noh theater. In 2002, she was awarded the Legion of Honor from the French government. She is survived by two sons, who have their own business, a daughter, seven grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren, the Hanae Mori office said. Her husband Ken Mori died in 1996. Her grandchildren Izumi Mori and Hikari Mori are fashion models. A funeral service was held among family. A public memorial service may be held, but details are undecided.
Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori, center, is applauded by models after the presentation of her 1997-98 fallwinter haute couture collection presented in Paris in 1997.
■ WORLD NEWS
In front of the Wing Luke Museum. From left: Derek Chinn, Betty Lau, Gary Locke, Shannon Lee, Wendee Ong, guest, Park Eng, Perry Lee, and Mark Chow.
LeeDIDN’TWHATYOUKNOWBruce about
Did you know that there are more magazine covers of Bruce Lee than Marilyn Monroe? Just Google it, and you will find that Lee graced over hundreds and hundreds of magazine covers not only in the martial arts field, but mainstream media like Rolling Stone, Time, and People. The number of Lee’s magazine covers easily exceeds thousands if you consider the multilingual martial arts and entertainment media in Asia. And if you count the number of toys with Lee’s image and other memorabilia, you will discover that Lee’s collection is worth a lot of money. His fans span the globe, and not just in America and Asia, according to Perry Lee (no relationship to Lee), a Bruce Lee historian and collector in Seattle. What separated him from the other American action heroes was that he’s Asian American. Even 49 years (more than a generation) after his death, his popularity has soared.“He (Lee) is still relevant today,” said Perry, who had met Lee in 1964. Perry was only 14 and he witnessed how Lee won his fight against a tall, big, nonAsian boxing champion. “Nobody can match his talent. He revolutionized martial arts.”
Water was an important element of his philosophy. Through his training with his Master Ip Man, Lee would practice punching the water. He discovered that water was the “very essence of kung fu.” The exhibit’s theme was “Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee.” The exhibit illustrated how he evolved at different stages of development. It will give you a glimpse of Lee’s mind through the water element. The exhibit has a meditative flair, different from any other Bruce Lee exhibits that exist in San Francisco and Hong Kong. “People can experience a different side of my father than ever before,” said Shannon. “Emerge from his side of him, touch on his knowledge, philosophy, and books. How he cultivated his mind, body, and philosophy and synthesized it in his life.”
see BLOG on 15
10 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022asianweekly northwest 40 YEARS ■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG
Lee had invented a kung fu style, Jeet Kune Do (JKD), which is different from other forms of kung fu. It is also federally recognized as uniquely Asian American, while other martial arts styles had originated from Asia. An innovator, he had integrated East and West martial arts philosophy and developed his own modern brand. And it was during his years in Seattle, from 1959 to 1964, where he had founded kung fu schools in Chinatown as well as the University District, teaching judo and martial arts from which the inspiration for JDK materialized. There are millions of JKD students and schools all over the world.Tounderstand how he taught himself to apply philosophy to kung fu, the Wing Luke Asian Museum’s new Bruce Lee exhibit would shed light on his thirst for knowledge from the 2,800 books he had collected in his 32 years of life. The 230 actual books from his collection were artfully displayed through a cut-out image of Lee raising his fist and kicking high.“This is [an] exciting and a beautiful follow-up into a journey of self-discovery,” said Wing’s Executive Director Joël Barraquiel Tan. “It points to how the young Bruce Lee was shaped by this neighborhood and the community. Lots of his teachings and learnings were from here (Seattle). The ability of being in a safe nurturing community allowed him to experiment and allowed for him to be unique of who he was. That’s how he became the icon Bruce Lee.”
Shannon Lee, his daughter, was in town earlier to kick off the new exhibit. Visiting old bookstores was one of Lee’s pastimes. A small portion of his books, about 230 books, was part of the exhibit. “He signed every one of them,” said Shannon. “He studied, underlined, and marked on his books. He wrote notes on the margin. He was an active reader. He wanted to educate himself, and apply what he learned from theAmongbooks.” the piles of books he accumulated, it included philosophy, films, East and West martial arts, and different types of exercises, including boxing, weight training, yoga, and even how to play football. Why football? I suppose Lee studied football because it’s a combat sport where the violent aspect and perseverance is a major component. He might be able to apply some of its strategies.
By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Bruce Lee in Seattle Part 1
Bruce Lee (center, back row) with some Seattle judo students including Cheryl Chow (second from left, middle row), Wendee Ong (third from left, middle row), Brien Chow (front row, middle) Mark Chow (front row, far right), and Don Wong (front row, far left).
NgAssuntabyPhoto LeeJerrybyPhoto OngWendeefromPhoto
LONDON (AP) — New coronavirus cases reported globally dropped nearly a quarter in the week before last while deaths fell 6% but were still higher in parts of Asia, according to an Aug. 18 report on the pandemic by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency said there were 5.4 million new COVID-19 cases reported two weeks ago, a decline of 24% from the previous week. Infections fell everywhere in the world, including by nearly 40% in Africa and Europe and by a third in the Middle East. COVID deaths rose in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia by 31% and 12% respectively, but fell or remained stable everywhere else.
President Tsai Ing-wen
The province of 94 million people gets 80% of its electricity from hydropower dams. Factories that make processor chips for smartphones, auto components, solar panels and other industrial goods were shut down for at least six days. Some say output will be depressed while others say supplies to customers are unaffected. The shutdowns add to challenges for the ruling Communist Party as President Xi Jinping, the country’s most powerful leader in decades, prepares to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as leader at a meeting in October or November. Growth in factory output and retail sales weakened in July, setting back China’s economic recovery after Shanghai and other industrial centers were shut down starting in see DROUGHT on 13
At a press briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said reported coronavirus deaths over the past month have surged 35%, and noted there had been 15,000 deaths. “15,000 deaths a week is completely unacceptable, when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives,” Tedros said. He said the number of virus sequences shared every week has plummeted 90%, making it extremely difficult for scientists to monitor how COVID-19 might be mutating.
“But none of us is helpless,” Tedros said. “Please get vaccinated if you are not, and if you need a booster, get one.”
11AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022YOUR VOICE asianweekly northwest ■ WORLD NEWS
Taiwan’s Tsai says resolve in self-defense cannot be shaken
Gan’s surviving eggplants are no bigger than strawberries. A reservoir beside his farm has run dry, forcing him to pump groundwater.
On Aug. 18, WHO's vaccine advisory group recommended for the first time that people most vulnerable to COVID-19, including older people, those with underlying health conditions see CORONAVIRUS on 14 World coronavirus cases fall 24%; deaths rise in Asia
By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS LONGQUAN, China (AP) — Hundreds of persimmon trees that should be loaded with yellow fruit lie wilted in Gan Bingdong’s greenhouse in southwestern China, adding to mounting farm losses in a scorching summer that is the country’s driest in six decades. Gan’s farm south of the industrial metropolis of Chongqing lost half its vegetable crop in heat as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit and a drought that has shrunk the giant Yangtze River and wilted crops across central China.
“This year’s high temperatures are very annoying,” Gan said. Drought conditions across a swath of China from the densely populated east across central farming provinces into eastern Tibet have “significantly increased,” the national weather agency said on Aug. 20.
Chinese farmers struggle as scorching drought wilts crops
By HUIZHONG WU ASSOCIATED PRESS TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president invoked an armed conflict from 1958 as an example of the island’s resolve to defend itself while she met on Aug. 23 with more foreign visitors amid the highest tensions with China in U.S.decades.policy researchers and Japanese lawmakers are the latest visiting delegations, just weeks after China reacted to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan by holding large-scale military exercises that included firing missiles over the island and sending ships across the midline of the Taiwan Strait. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary, and sees high-level foreign visits to the island as interference in its affairs and de facto recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty.Inspeaking to policy researchers from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution think tank, President Tsai Ing-wen referred to the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, a conflict in which the Chinese military see TSAI on 14
Local authorities were ordered to “use all available water sources” to supply households and livestock, the weather agency said. The biggest impact is in Sichuan, where factories have been shut down and offices and shopping malls told to turn off airconditioning after reservoirs to generate hydropower fell to half their normal levels.
WHO:
Najib said he felt he was “unfairly treated” and that his case has been rushed through. He pointed out that a leaked verdict by the Federal Court had been posted on a website and said if this was true, it would be a “judicial misconduct of the highest order.”
The Cairo conference also reached consensus on a series of goals including universal primary education in all coun tries by 2015—a goal that still hasn’t been met—and wider access for women to secondary and higher education. It also set goals to reduce infant and child mortality and ma ternal mortality and to provide access to reproductive and sexual health services, including family planning.
While the conference broke a taboo on discussing sexuality, it stopped short of recognizing that women see SADIK on 14
Najib faces a total of 42 charges in five separate trials linked to 1MDB, and his wife is also on trial on corruption charges. Najib, who has a strong social media following, remains politically influential. His United Malays National Organization leads the current government after defections of lawmakers caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the 2018 polls.
Earlier on Aug. 23, Najib sought to remove Maimun from the case, citing possible bias because her husband had made a negative Facebook posting about Najib’s leadership shortly after his ouster in 2018 general elections. But the judges dismissed Najib’s application. The Federal Court also dismissed a bid by Najib to seek a retrial on grounds of bias by the High Court judge, and refused to postpone the appeal to give his new lawyers more time to prepare. The court also denied a request by Najib’s new lawyer to withdraw from the case.
Malaysia top court upholds ex-PM Najib’s graft conviction
12 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 40 YEARSasianweekly northwest
“This is a simple and straightforward case of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering,” said Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat, who read out the“Weverdict.are unable to conclude that any of the findings of the High Court, as affirmed by the Court of Appeal, were perverse or plainly wrong so as to warrant appellate intervention. We agree that the defense is so inherently inconsistent and incredible that it does not raise a reasonable doubt on the prosecution case,” she said. The court ordered Najib to begin his time behind bars. He also must pay a $47 million1MDBfine.was a development fund that Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates. Najib was found guilty in 2020 of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving $9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. Najib, 69, has maintained he is innocent and had been out on bail pending his appeals. Just before the court delivered its verdict, he stood up in the dock to make a statement protesting the top court’s series of refusals to postpone the appeal hearings.
Nafis Sadik, women’s health and rights champion, dies at 92 NG ASSOCIATED
■ WORLD NEWS ■ NATIONAL NEWS By EILEEN
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak lost his final appeal on Aug. 22 in a graft case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund, with the top court unanimously upholding his conviction and 12-year prison sentence. The loss means Najib will have to begin serving his sentence immediately, becoming the first former prime minister to be jailed. He left the courthouse after the verdict and was reportedly taken to prison. The five-member Federal Court panel said it found the High Court judge was right in his judgment and that Najib’s appeal was “devoid of any merits.”
But Maimun said the appeal hearings had ended because Najib’s newly appointed lawyers refused to make any new arguments in protest of not being given more time to prepare. Najib appeared in shock after the verdict was read. He was immediately surrounded by his family and supporters.
“This is a historic moment for Malaysia, where the most senior leader has actually now faced an unprecedented moment of political accountability,” said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert at Malaysia’s Nottingham University.”'For this decision, which is the first of many cases involving this particular scandal, to move in this particular direction really is a testimony to the rule of law in Malaysia, and the strengthening of the demands for the rule of law in Malaysia.”
Maimun, Malaysia’s first female chief justice who was appointed in 2019, has come under attack on social media from Najib’s supporters. Police arrested a man last weekend in connection with death threats made against Maimun. Hundreds of Najib’s supporters gathered outside the court in a show of support. The prison term will cement Najib’s fall from grace. The British-educated Najib was born into Malaysia’s political elite. His father was the country’s second prime minister and his uncle was the third. He was thrust into politics in 1976 after his father died, becoming Malaysia’s youngest lawmaker at age 22, and the youngest ever deputy minister two years later. He became prime minister in 2009 as a reformer but his term was tainted by the 1MDB scandal that sparked investigations in the U.S. and several other countries and caused his government's downfall.
By EDITH M. LEDERER ASSOCIATED PRESS UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nafis Sadik, a Pakistani doctor who championed women’s health and rights and spearheaded the breakthrough action plan adopted by 179 countries at the 1994 United Nations population confer ence, died four days before her 93rd birthday, her son said. Omar Sadik said his mother died of natural causes at her home in New York on Aug. 14. Nafis Sadik joined the U.N. Population Fund in 1971, became its assistant executive director in 1977, and was appointed executive director in 1987 by then SecretaryGeneral Javier Perez de Cuellar after the sudden death of its chief, Rafael Salas. She was the first woman to head a major United Nations program that is voluntarily funded.
In June 1990, Perez de Cuellar appointed Sadik to be secretary-general of the fifth U.N. International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, and she became the architect of its groundbreaking program of action which recognized for the first time that women have the right to control their reproductive and sexual health and to choose whether to become pregnant.
PRESS
“They were scared,” Nguyen notes. “It’s been incredibly difficult,” Nguyen admits of the past four years. Due to his commitments in the senate, he has given up his prior position at Microsoft. He remains dedicated to the fight for the rights and recognition of what Joan Didion once called “the invisible city,” the underrepresented. Just like in the legislature, in his private life, Nguyen has to “balance and prioritize. There will be times when I’ll miss family events…there will be times when I’ll miss an important meeting…there’s a tremendous amount of need in the community.” He is heartened by the number of long-standing lawmakers who have learned from his example, and that of other, newer officials, that reform can happen if you do the work.
Last year, he stirred up a fuss by challenging incumbent Dow Constantine to the position of King County Executive.
Gan said. Meanwhile, other areas have suffered deadly flash floods. Flooding in the northwestern province of Qinghai killed at least 23 people and left eight missing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local authorities. Mudslides and overflowing rivers on Aug. 18 hit six villages in Qinghai’s Datong county, the report said. Some 1,500 people were forced out of their homes.
Goat—A weakness could turn into a strength, if you choose to focus on it and turn it around.
Such a bold move, when Nguyen was not even through his first term as state senator, was not expected nor approved by those accustomed to the political machine behaving a certain way. For Nguyen, the King County race was almost more about what he could prove than winning. It was about “showing that you don’t have to be beholden to the political establishment in order to be successful…I wanted to give hope to people who were not part of the political process.”
Dragon—Your time is valuable and should be treated as such. Be aware of how it is spent and on Snake—Inwhom. a situation where there is sensitive information involved, it is important that you practice Horse—Dodiscretion.youtend to be all-or-nothing in what you do? An upcoming project could require a more flexible approach.
Monkey—Is there something you want that is just out of reach? Don’t give up yet, as it is closer than it seems.Rooster—Think twice before agreeing to a lengthy undertaking. Once you commit, it will be difficult to extricate Dog—Whileyourself.youare reluctant to take credit, there is value in recognizing just how far you have come.
By Sun Lee Chang Rat—Something that has worked well in the past may not be applicable now. Acknowledge the changes and shift as necessary.
“You had to sometimes figure it out and say, well, what’s more important? Ensuring that our community gets access to the funding and the basic needs that they have? Or my ego?” The dreams remain. What Nguyen focuses on now is turning those dreams into outcomes. How can he get results for his community? Outcomes he has sought so far include Bill 6478, which affects families in the WorkFirst and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs, and helps alleviate homelessness; or 5126, the Climate Commitment Act, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Each victory will require compromise, which often perplexes the public. “Folks feel frustrated…that’s mainly because we’re pushing for progress. Progress requires frustration and tension. It requires change…You have to make that determination around, we may not be able to get 100% of what we want, but we could get 80%…Climate policy is probably one of the major ones. How stringent should the lengths be?” Nguyen acknowledges there are more ideal options, but to gain those, some other important element might be sacrificed, as in, “Do I pass the building standards bill that was the most stringent in the country but didn’t have the rent control piece?” So you work on getting a little bit of both. Right now, with a Democratic majority in Olympia, Nguyen has support, not only in his party but also with Republicans. “84% of the bills that we passed last year were bipartisan,” he points out. He is proud of the increase of “elected leaders who reflect the districts they serve. It’s not an accident…it’s not just me. That’s always been the goal.” Together with this new contingent of fired up, diverse elected officials (think Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, Sam Cho, or Girmay Zahilay), Nguyen has shown that it is possible to get things done.
“I fundamentally believe that if we have the right leaders in the right place, we can transform our entire political system…you can create a lot of positive change if you work at it.” Nguyen recalls one piece of advice he was given when he first campaigned: “You can get a lot done if you don’t care about getting re-elected and if you don’t care about getting credit.” That’s why, for him, if re-elected, it’s going to be important to keep an eye on the implementation of changes already made, which means a lot of work behind the scenes.
“There are a lot of folks who have been there for some time that maybe even themselves didn’t think that it was possible.” The tone is changing, he says. “I think that paradigm shift is about to happen.”
Specifically, “people from marginalized communities, people of color, women.” And he did well, coming in at about 45% in a race where the incumbent spent the most money for that seat’s campaign in history: $3.2 million.
When asked why he should be re-elected to represent the 34th, Nguyen’s answer is as assertive as it ever was: “You don’t make change by just sitting back and saying, yeah, everything is fine…It boils down to I’m here and I show up…I’ve wanted to show folks that there’s a better path… That there is value in fighting for things that we believe in, even if it’s going to cost you in consequences when it comes to the political side. That’s why I’m here.”
Tiger—While the circumstances aren’t exactly ideal, there is enough there to try and make it Rabbit—Evenwork. though there are disagreements in the group, your willingness to listen will help all to move forward.
“There are dynamics within the political system that you have to be mindful of. I saw myself hitting a ceiling…I was fighting for certain things that wouldn’t necessarily be popular, even though they were right. I would hit a wall… and I’d wonder why I’d hit that wall.” No one tells you what to do in this environment where personality and power can be paramount.
Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
■ ASTROLOGY
Which is not to say that Nguyen doesn’t make headlines.
“One of my main focuses is going to be ensuring that the money that we invested, the programs that we’ve put in place, the policies that we’ve passed, actually get implemented and benefit the people who we expect to benefit…We need leaders who are willing to do the work that nobody notices. Nobody is going to notice that my office will help people implement a program well. It’s just going to be done well…A lot of the work that I’ll do will have a significant impact on our communities, but likely won’t make headlines just because I want to make the government better. I want to make sure that the government is serving people.”
Farmers in the area usually harvest rice in late August or September but plan to finish at least two weeks early before plants die, according to Gan. A community reservoir beside Gan’s farm is nearly empty, leaving a pool surrounded by cracked earth. After supply canals ran dry, it sprang a leak and heat accelerated evaporation. Gan is pumping underground water for irrigation.
WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN?
Pig—Avoid mixing business and pleasure, if you can. The minimal benefit of doing so isn’t worth the risk.
RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 *The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.
Ox—It’s hard to ignore what is right in front of you. Try to see things for what they truly are.
13AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022YOUR VOICE asianweekly northwest
NGUYEN from 1
“If the high temperature comes every year, we will have to find a solution such as to build up nets, daily irrigation or to install a spray system to reduce the loss,”
Predictions and advice for the week of August 27–September 2, 2022
DROUGHT from 11 late March to fight virus outbreaks. The economy grew by just 2.5% over a year earlier in the first half of 2022, less than half the official annual goal of 5.5%. State-run utilities are shifting power to Sichuan from other provinces. Authorities used fire trucks to deliver water to two dry villages near Chongqing. In Hubei province, east of Chongqing, 220,000 people needed drinking water, while 17 million acres of crops were damaged, the provincial government said. It declared a drought emergency and released disaster aid. In Sichuan, 116,000 acres of crops have been lost and 1.1 million acres damaged, the provincial disaster committee said. It said 819,000 people faced a shortage of drinking water. Authorities in Chongqing say an estimated 1 million people in rural areas will face drinking water shortages, the Shanghai news outlet The Paper reported. Gan, the farmer south of Chongqing, said he has lost one-third of his persimmon plants.
Last week, British authorities authorized an updated version of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that targets omicron and the U.K. government announced it would be offered to people over 50 beginning in September.
Furuya criticized China’s military exercises in the past few weeks in his speech ahead of his meeting with Tsai. “China’s actions are unacceptable toward the Japanese and Taiwanese people who have shared values in democracy freedoms, rule of law and human rights. We oppose this type of threat from China,” he said. Furuya also said “what is most important is for Taiwan to cooperate closely with the international community with Japan and the U.S. at the center to completely suppress China’s attempts to change the status quo.”
Joachim Hombach, who sits on WHO’s vaccine expert group, said it was also uncertain whether the experts would endorse widespread boosters for the general population or new combination vaccines that target the omicron variant.
“She transcended age and time and was as equally beloved by people much older than her, as she was by tiny little children—because they recognized her heart,” he said. “She fit more into one day, than most of us do probably in one year—she was incomparable and she was unmatched.”
“Reproductive rights involve more than the right to reproduce,” she said.
“We need to see what the data will tell us and we need to see actually (what) will be the advantage of these vaccines that comprise an (omicron) strain,” he said.
SADIK from 10 have the right to control decisions about when they have sex and when they get married.Natalia Kanem, current executive director of the U.N. Population Fund, called Sadik a “proud champion of choice and tireless advocate for women’s health, rights and empowerment.” “Her bold vision and leadership in Cairo set the world on an ambitious path,” a journey that she said continued at the 1995 U.N. women’s conference in Beijing and with adoption of U.N. development goals since 2000 that include achieving gender equality and many issues in the Cairo program of action. Since Cairo, Kanem said, “millions of girls and young women have grown up knowing that their bodies belong to them, and that their futures are there to shape.” At the Beijing women’s conference a year after Cairo, Sadik told delegates: “The first mark of respect for women is support for their reproductive rights.”
CORONAVIRUS from 11 and health workers, get a second booster shot. Numerous other health agencies and countries made the same recommendation months ago. The expert group also said it had evaluated data from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for younger people and said children and teenagers were in the lowest priority group for vaccination, since they are far less likely to get severe disease.
In 1966, Sadik joined the Pakistan Central Family Planning Council, the government agency responsible for carrying out the national family planning program. She rose to be its directorgeneral in 1970. She also served an internship in gynecology and obstetrics at City Hospital in Baltimore and continued her medical education at Johns Hopkins University. Sadik is survived by her five children, 10 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. “Mummy loved how she lived: wide open, welcoming, wonderful, generous beyond belief, gracious, and giving— always and all ways giving,” Omar Sadik said. “Our home was not huge, but mummy always found a way to make it seem limitless and she somehow managed to accommodate absolutely anyone that needed a bed, a couch, a meal, or a family.”
“They involve support for women in activities other than reproduction, in fact liberating women from a system of values which insists that reproduction is their only function.”
After her retirement from the Population Fund in 2000, Sadik served as special adviser to the secretarygeneral and special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sadik will be remembered “for her significant contributions to women’s health and rights and population policies and for her tireless efforts to combat HIV/AIDS,” his spokesman said. “She consistently called attention to the importance of addressing the needs of women, and of involving women directly in making and carrying out development policy, which she believed was particularly important for population policies and programs.”
“That battle to protect our homeland showed the world that no threat of any kind could shake the Taiwanese people’s resolve to defend their nation, not in the past, not now and not in the future,” she said. “We, too, will show the world that the people of Taiwan have both the resolve and the confidence to safeguard peace, security, freedom and prosperity for ourselves.”
Born in Jaunpur in British-ruled India, Nafis Sadik was the daughter of Iffat Ara and Muhammad Shoaib, a former Pakistani finance minister. After receiving her medical degree from Dow Medical College in Karachi, she began her career working in women’s and children’s wards in Pakistani armed forces hospitals from 1954 to 1963. The following year she was appointed head of the health section of the government Planning Commission.
TSAI from 11 conducted prolonged shelling in Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands. Tsai said the military and civilians worked together then to safeguard Taiwan.
14 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 40 YEARSasianweekly northwest DONE RITE CARPET CLEANING 206-487-8236 CLASSIFIEDS SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.
Tsai later said to the Japanese lawmakers that aggression against Taiwan would have a major impact against the entire Indo-Pacific region. Leading the Japanese delegation was Keiji Furuya, an ultraconservative who heads a Japan-Taiwan parliamentarians group.
On Aug. 22, Tsai met with the Indiana state governor, who came to discuss business and academic cooperation with Taiwanese institutions on the issue of semi-conductors, an industry in which Taiwan dominates globally. A delegation of former Japanese defense officials and a U.S. congressional delegation that followed Pelosi have also visited Taiwan recently.
Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, the expert group’s chair, said that unless vaccines were proven to stop transmission, their widespread use would be “a waste of the vaccine and a waste of time.”
A-POP from 8 of African descent were legally emancipated in the mid 1800s, Britain still needed labor for its colony, so it created a new-at-thetime system of indentureship and Indians were “imported” to the colony to work on sugarcane plantations.
Actor Dev Patel was in Adelaide, Australia when he witnessed two people—a man and a woman—arguing, which escalated to fighting, which escalated to the women stabbing the man in the chest (the man survived the attack). Yikes. Most news outlets don’t mention this, but reading in between the lines, these folks may have been in some sort of mental health crisis when this happened.Reportedly, Dev Patel and his friends intervened and tried to de-escalate the situation. They remained on-site and spoke to police when they arrived.
BRUCE LEE IN SEATTLE
Because it’s rare, it’s often misdiagnosed and people with it can experience negative psychological effects from not being believed by doctors. Jamil said that the folks working on “She Hulk” accommodated and supported her around her disability instead of downgrading her role. Snaps! Thus, pulled butt hole muscle is something beautifully earned.
If you read about Bruce Lee, you would find that he had taught several Hollywood celebrities, from Steven McQueen to Chuck Norris. But locally, his students were just as impressive, including former Governor Gary Locke, former Judge Park Eng, and Judge Mark Chow. Born in San Francisco, Lee and his family moved back to Hong Kong in 1941. In 1959, Lee returned to the United States at the age of 19.According to the Bruce Lee Tour organized by Wing Museum, he opened a martial arts school on South King Street, and another one on South Weller Street. Lee’s parents were Cantonese opera and movie stars touring in different parts of the world. They were performing in San Francisco in 1940 when Lee was born. He returned to the U.S. to retain his U.S. citizenship after he turned 18. They left their son with good friends, the late Ruby and Ping Chow, who owned the Ruby Chow Restaurant. There, Lee worked as a busboy and waiter. He also lived in the attic of the restaurant. Brien Chow, Ruby’s son, was one of Lee’s Judo students when he was 11 years old. Chow, now 71, said he never saw Lee yell at his students. Chow remembered Lee showing him tricks.
PATEL ACTS LIKE ANYONE ELSE, WITNESSES CRIME, COOPERATES WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT
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Vi Mar, 92, whom Lee called auntie in Seattle. “He’s a poet, an intellect. He liked to create verses. He learned and taught others to protect themselves. He stood up for the treatment of Chinese Americans being treated as second-class citizens.” Through Lee’s Hollywood journey, he was given less important roles or not being cast because of his accent and fear that he wouldn’t be popular. After he went to Hong Kong, Lee proved everyone wrong. His movies were box office hits.
15AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 asianweekly northwest YOUR VOICE BLOG from 10 Lee’s books, a few pellets, were written in Chinese, English, and even other languages like French. He couldn’t read those languages, but he studied photos of combat books. Shannon said they were all well read as Lee underlined quotes and wrote notes in the book. He also added his own writing, stages of selfcultivation, and you could see the process and how he gained knowledge in his whole life.
“The most memorable moment with Bruce was when I was able to flip Bruce over my shoulder and witness Bruce flying high through the air!” said former student Wendee Ong. “I had that ‘ah ha moment’ with a lot more confidence in my skills. However, deep in my heart, I knew Bruce flew purposely high and mighty to give me a boost of confidence and a sense of success!”
JAMIL HURT HER BUTT HOLE ON THE SET OF ‘SHE-HULK’ Actor Jameela Jamil recently confessed to Entertainment Weekly that in the course of doing stunt work in her role as the villainous Titania in “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” she pulled a muscle in a NSFW area. Here’s a quote from her: “Like, you’ll probably have to bleep this out, but I pulled a muscle in my a**hole! I didn’t know that was possible!” You might be like: “Stacy, why do I need to know this?” Because it’s actually pretty cool and meaningful that Jamil is doing stunts in this action role, as she has spoken up about being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare connective tissue-related disease that can exhibit in many oblique and distressing ways.
“Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday - Sunday The Wing’s interactive exhibit will be a permanent exhibit. You can also join Bruce Lee Tours, also part of Wing’s program. Assunta can be reached assunta@nwasianweekly.com.at
Bruce Lee items are some of the best-selling items at the Wing.
“He could move his fingers through a Batman mask so fast that you couldn’t see him doing it. That’s how good he was.” So when he hit you, you couldn’t tell where and how either. Chow also said he practiced so hard, punching his fists over gravel, that he developed calluses.
I think those are the facts of what happened? It was actually hard to pick out the facts because most reporting on this had headlines bombastically saying that Patel single-handedly and heroically leapt into action and saved a man’s life. That’s a nice story, right? But that’s not the story that we should be focusing on. A rep for Patel wanted to dispel the editorialized fairytale quickly. A statement was released to the press saying, “There are no heroes in this situation and sadly this specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large.”
Not many Seattleites know that he was an avid dancer. Lee was “a practical jokester,” said Ong. Lee taught a bunch of girls from the Seattle Chinese Girls Drill Team how to dance cha-cha at a birthday party at Ruby Chow’s Restaurant. “He would kick his agile leg high in the air and spin around 360 degrees in two seconds flat … while returning quickly back in position to move his hips back and forth to the beat of cha cha cha! Bruce was amazing to watch,” said Ong. In 1958, Lee won the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament, and also Hong Kong’s Cha-Cha Championship, according to Wikipedia. Most masters can do martial arts, but not ballroom dance. They require contradictory skills: kung fu demands power punches and kicks exhibiting machismo, while cha cha is soft and elegant with sexy moves. To achieve both, reflects Lee’s talent and master of both yang and yin. Lee would always be remembered for his mischievous grin and laughter whenever he was present, said Ong. “Bruce was good at so many things,” said
Tyga offends despite having intentions,goodapologizes Here’s another story in which a celeb acts like a reasonable, thoughtful person. Last month, rapper Tyga dropped a music video for his new song, “Ay Caramba.” The video showcased a Mexican dude eating tortilla chips, Tyga in various sombreros, and a dude in a lowrider. BTW, Tyga is Black and Vietnamese. (His birth name is Michael Ray NguyenStevenson.)Andit’shard for me to fully describe this video because Tyga has taken it down and has erased it off the internet after he heard criticisms from Mexican Americans on how busted they think this video is. This is after he reportedly paid $250,000 of his own money to make this music video. About causing offense, Tyga told the Los Angeles Times, “My art is never meant to offend anybody. My art and the music brings people together.” What a mature way to respond. This week, Tyga released a new music video for “Sunshine,” one that features zero tortilla chips. Instead, it does feature fellow API artist Jhené Aiko! Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.
Entitled “Small Business Growth and Resiliency Through Export Opportunities in U.S.-Ko rea Trade,” the event will kick off with a reception on Sept. 7 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. sponsored by Coupang. “A fantastic in-person network ing opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners in terested in the Korean market,” states the joint press release. The reception will also feature “a light, Chuseok-themed din ner.” Chuseok is the harvest moon celebration in South Korea. The reception will be held at Pier 69, 2711 Alaskan Way. Mahlon can be reached info@nwasianweekly.com.at
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Just in 2021, South Korea ex ported more than $4.5 billion to the greater Seattle area, mainly automotive and industrial prod ucts. For its part, this region ex ported over $2 billion in 2021 to South Korea, mostly agriculture, aerospace, and industrial machin ery goods.
MOVIES from 7 according to studio estimates on Sunday. “Beast,” meanwhile, settled for a second-place debut with $11.6 million.Crunchyroll released “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” on 3,900 screens in North America, marking the widest-ever opening for an anime. The Toei Animation production was directed by Tetsuro Kodama, who had the support of “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama. The Dragon Ball universe is almost 40 years old, and includes manga, television shows, movies, games and toys. “We’re absolutely thrilled that Dragon Ball fans could come together to experience and enjoy this amazing film in theaters,” said Mitchel Berger, senior vice president of global commerce for the distributor, in a statement.
16 AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2022asianweekly northwest 40 YEARS CHO from 1 them away.” And, with that, he in troduced an interpreter. Such spontaneity seemed a hallmark of the innovative pro gram he was introducing. Cho, who is the first port com missioner of color, has experience as an exporter as well as navigat ing the federal bureaucracy. While the avian flu was rav aging Asia, he contacted Wilcox Farms in Washington and used his connections to expedite ship ping, since then shipping 2.5 mil lion pounds of vacuum-packed eggs in refrigerated containers to SouthSpeakingKorea.of the current initia tive, he said, “A program like this would have been helpful when I wasTheexporting.”program, which is sup ported by the federal and state government as well as private industry, will make capital and opportunities available to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) small and medium-sized businesses as well as “create com munity,” said Cho. It primarily targets Korean American businesses. Some are already exporting to Korea, while others might be interested in the opportunity to do so. “The program is aimed towards small business owners or entre preneurs, principally from the Korean American community, that already export to Korea or are interested in selling to the Korean market,” stated a press release last week from the U.S. Small Busi ness Administration (SBA). “They understand the lan guage, they understand the cul ture, and they understand how to get business done in their country of origin,” said Gabriel Esparza, associate administrator, Office of International Trade of the SBA, which is supporting the program. Moreover, the number of peo ple with ties to Korea signals the ripeness of the region for engag ing in such a program.
Sony’s “Bullet Train,” meanwhile, landed in third place after two weekends at No. 1 with an estimated $8 million, bringing its domestic total to $68.9 million.
According to PostTrak, the “Dragon Ball Super” audience was heavily male (79%) and 44% between the ages of 25 and 34. “Japanese anime is a cinematic tradition, but rarely do you see a movie like this topping the domestic chart,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “To be ahead of all these other mainstream Hollywood movies is quite incredible. It speaks volumes to the globalization of the box office.“ “Beast,” meanwhile, opened on 3,743 screens in North America. The film, directed by Baltasar Kormakur (“Everest”) stars Elba as a widowed father of two teenage girls, played by Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries, who find themselves on the run from a bloodthirsty lion during a trip to South Africa.
From left: Gabriel Esparza, Michael Fong, Sam Cho, Isabelle De Wulf, and Josh Davis.
To learn more about the day-long conference and register, go to: https://bit.ly/3dRTtXD Both events are free and open to the public.
“Crunchyroll thanks all of the fans, whether or not you are a ‘super’ fan or a newcomer, and we hope they come back again and again.”
Total trade reached almost $80 billion between 2011 and 2022. “This is a strong foundation for small and medium-sized busi nesses to export to South Korea,” said Josh Davis, vice president of Global Trade and Investment, Greater Seattle Partners. Banking on such trends, the federal government, through the SBA, has promised to provide technical assistance, funding, and other support to assist with the venture.Another reason the program targets small and medium-sized businesses: 97% of all exporters in the United States are small businesses.TheWashington State Depart ment of Commerce, the Port of Seattle, and Coupang, a leading Korean e-commerce company, are also providing resources. This includes assistance with export ing involving e-commerce. A conference on Sept. 8 and 9 will provide information about opportunities in the South Ko rean market and resources avail able to pursue international sales. Successful small businesses will share their experiences about ex porting. The conference will also give exporters or those interested in exporting the chance to interact with representatives from govern ment and industry, as well as net working opportunities with other participants.Lyinglike a giant ship at dock and impregnated by the salt air
The following day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a day-long event “will provide attendees with insights from industry experts and successful Korean American small businesses into the booming Korean export market including opportunities provided through Thee-commerce.”conference will be held at the Bell Harbor Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way. Both events require proof of vaccination.
whipping in from Puget Sound, the Port of Seattle will open its doors to the multitude of export ers and potential exporters in the region, many of whom already use its Washingtonfacilities.state is home to over 120,000 small businesses owned by people of color, said Michael Fong, former Seattle senior deputy mayor, now re gional administrator of the Pa cific Northwest Region for the SBA. Of those, half are owned by Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI). The infrastructure of the region also supports expanded growth. Three deep water ports consti tute a crucial ally for exporters. Approximately 80% of all exports from this region to South Korea are delivered by sea. And for those who need to fly, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the closest West Coast gateway to Asia. As one indication, the region’s exports are up more than 22% from the same time last year. Isabelle DeWulf, managing director of the Small Business Export Assistance of the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness, Washington State Department of Commerce, pledged funding “to help small businesses with e-commerce.”
To learn more about the reception and register, go to: https://bit.ly/3PLPfhM
SBA representatives said that in a show of just how much the event mattered to their agency, the Cabinet-level Administrator, Isabella Guzman, would be attending.
The greater Seattle region is home to more than 40,000 res idents that were born in Korea and over 79,000 who identify as Korean, according to Greater Se attle Partners, one of the groups supporting the enterprise. Existing trade is another sign that there is room for growth. Already, more than 30 Korean companies employ over 450 peo ple in the greater Seattle area. And companies such as Amazon, Costco, Microsoft, and Starbucks have collectively invested over $1 billion in South Korea, generating over 1,600 jobs there. Nor is this a recent develop ment.For the last 10 years, South Ko rea has consistently been among the region’s top three trading partners. And growth in trade continues.
