VOL 40 NO 27 | JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

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VOL 40 NO 27 JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

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By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

SPD arrests suspect 6 weeks after assault on elderly Japanese American

Photo from Maneki restaurant’s Instagram

Wednesday, June 30 could not have come sooner for Washington state! Not only did it bring us respite from the scorching 100-degree temperature days we almost melted through, but it also gets us a step closer to normal life after Covid-19.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced in May that our state could lift most Covid-related business restrictions on June 30. This means your favorite restaurant is now able to open at full capacity, you will not have to stay six feet away from other diners, and, if you’re vaccinated, you can say goodbye to face masks. see RESTAURANTS on 12 Japanese comfort food from Maneki restaurant

Captured on video: Man in helmet attacking Gordon Shoji, 78

Suni Lee, first Hmong American to make the US Olympic gymnastics team

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Sunisa “Suni” Lee has made history—she will be the first Hmong American to represent the United States at the Olympics.

Lee assured her spot on the women’s gymnastics team by placing second at the Olympic trials on June 27. She scored a total of 115.832 points, second only to Simone Bile’s score of 118.098 .

“Unreal. I am so extremely honored and blessed to get the opportunity to represent Team USA at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. This is a dream come true, see LEE on 4

Sunisa Lee’s Instagram post

see ASSAULT on 11

THE INSIDE STORY

NAMES IN THE NEWS CID Community Watch helps seniors during heatwave  2

■

Looming in the doorway, a big, helmeted man rushes into the apartment. The owner, a thin, wiry 78-year-old Japanese American man, backpedals until he can try to reason with him. But the intruder gets right up in his face. The larger, hulking man is like a tank. He swarms over the smaller man. In his rage, he head butts him, hard, with his helmet. When the older man tries to stand up again, the intruder swings a heavy blow right into the side of his head.

“Can’t you see enough out of your tight eyes,” the intruder yells.

Gordon Shoji, the older man who was attacked in his apartment, has been frustrated that it seemed to take the Seattle Police Department (SPD) six weeks to arrest the suspected assailant, Effendi Dean. On June 28, SPD arrested Dean, who is being held on $150,000 bail. Not until Shoji shared a video he had secretly taken of the May 14 assault with an ex-police officer, who Shoji thinks may have sent it to the SPD, did there appear to be any action on the case.

According to Shoji, it was only then that they sought Dean at the pot shop where he works.

“They told me he’d gone to Las Vegas,” said Shoji in an interview, the day before the arrest.

SPD Det. Patrick Michaud responded to numerous questions rapidly.

PUBLISHER’S BLOG Cool foods, cool acts for heat relief 6

AT THE MOVIES “F9”: Number nine is not the charm 7

SPORTS Japanese soccer player Yokoyama comes out as transgender  8

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly northwest

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39 YEARS

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS CID Community Watch helps seniors during heatwave

as the C-ID Public Safety Liaison—in which she assists in the implementation of the C-ID Public Safety Action Plan and facilitates communication between SPD and the community.

Ly has spent more than seven years working in the C-ID, and brings with her connections and an understanding of public safety concerns from both the younger and older generations. 

New branch manager at Chase ID

Volunteers with Chinatown-International District (CID) Community Watch walked every night this week in response to adverse weather—distributing over 350 bottles of water and numerous meals and snacks to our seniors and unhoused last weekend.

On a page for a crowdfunding campaign, an organizer wrote, “Most of our elders do not have air conditioning and will try to cool off in the park. Our unhoused population will need extra care as well… It takes about $50 a night for us to make about 40 sandwiches and to provide a bag of chips with it... Once we get over the heatwave, I am hoping that we will be able to use any additional money to buy supplies.”

To contribute to their cause, go to https://bit.ly/2UfrmrT. 

C-ID Public Safety Liaison

Monica Ly is the new Chinatown-International District Planning and Development Specialist with the Seattle Police Department (SPD)’s Collaborative Policing Bureau.

Her role is better known

Leslie Holland was recently announced as branch manager for Chase Bank, International District Uwajimaya. She was born in the Philippines and started working in the financial Leslie Holland industry over 25 years ago.

Holland has worked for JP Morgan Chase for the last 13 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from University of Phoenix in Business Management and is currently pursuing a Systems Thinking certificate from eCornell University.

Holland lives in Leschi with her husband, Drew, and daughter Sophia—the family frequently shops and dines in the International District. 

NW Asian Weekly production to air on Seattle Channel

The Story of Seattle Chinatown International District Murals, produced by the Northwest Asian Weekly, will air on the Seattle Channel on July 5 at 1 p.m. Seattle Channel is on cable television channel 21 on Comcast (321 HD) and Wave (721 HD) to cable subscribers in Seattle.

The Story of Seattle Chinatown International District Murals details events from the pandemic, to anti-Asian hate, protests against police brutality, vandalism, and

ultimately triumph when a community united.

You can also watch it on youtu.be/VE9BA7KkbKc. 

RAI wins award

Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, Refugee Artisan Initiative executive director and her dog, Bao Bao, with zero waste pet products in the background.

Refugee Artisan Initiative won the Audience Favorite award for the NW Circular Innovation Challenge Pitch Competition on “Zero Waste Pet Accessories.”

Seattle Good Business Network collaborated with the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development for this first ever challenge. It was a virtual pitch competition where five finalists pitched their product ideas for the best-manufactured product idea using ‘waste’ or recycled materials. 

Monica Ly

Weekly Specials

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YOUR VOICE

■ NATIONAL NEWS

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

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Asian Americans lobby to name Navy ship for Filipino sailor

By JANIE HAR ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Asian Americans, veterans and civilians in the U.S. and the Philippines are campaigning to name a Navy warship for a Filipino sailor who bravely rescued two crew members when their ship caught fire more than a century ago, earning him a prestigious and rare Medal of Honor.

Supporters say naming a ship for

Telesforo Trinidad would honor not just the only Asian American in the U.S. Navy granted the nation’s highest award for valor, but the tens of thousands of Filipinos and Americans of Filipino descent who have served in the U.S. Navy since 1901, when the Philippines was a United States territory.

“I don’t believe it’s a long shot at all; it may be a long timeline, but we’re hoping it’s not,“ said retired Navy Capt.

Ron Ravelo and chair of the campaign.

“We’re going to be making Navy ships into the foreseeable future, and there’s no reason one of those can’t bear the name of Telesforo Trinidad.”

Trinidad, who died in 1968 at age 77, was so eager to join the U.S. Navy that he stowed away on a lifeboat from his home island of Panay to the main island to enlist, said grandson Rene Trinidad. In 1915, while on patrol on the USS San Diego, he risked his life and suffered burns to rescue two crewmates

when boilers exploded, killing nine. He received the medal that year, at a time when the honor could be awarded for non combat valor.

Rene Trinidad, a real estate agent in Southern California, recalls his grandfather was a man of few words.

“He let his actions speak for himself,” he said, “and I suppose that’s why he did what he did.” see NAVY SHIP on 10

More evidence suggests COVID-19 was in US by Christmas 2019

By MIKE STOBBE AP MEDICAL WRITER NEW YORK (AP) — A new analysis of blood samples from 24,000 Americans taken early last year is the latest and largest study to suggest that the new coronavirus popped up in the U.S. in December 2019—weeks before cases were first recognized by health officials.

The analysis is not definitive, and some experts remain skeptical, but federal health officials are increasingly

accepting a timeline in which small numbers of COVID-19 infections may have occurred in the U.S. before the world ever became aware of a dangerous new virus erupting in China.

“The studies are pretty consistent,” said Natalie Thornburg of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“There were probably very rare and sporadic cases here earlier than we were aware of. But it was not widespread and didn’t become widespread until late

February,“ said Thornburg, principal investigator of the CDC’s respiratory virus immunology team.

Such results underscore the need for countries to work together and identify newly emerging viruses as quickly and collaboratively as possible, she added.

The pandemic coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019. Officially, the first U.S. infection to be identified was a traveler—a Washington state man who see COVID-19 on 10

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asianweekly northwest

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

39 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR JUL 5

“THE STORY OF SEATTLE CHINATOWN INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT MURALS” WILL BE FEATURED ON SEATTLE CHANNEL TV CHANNEL 1 p.m. seattlechannel.org

8 WASHINGTON STATE CHINA RELATIONS COUNCIL, “SESSION 2: ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE AND HATE CRIMES:

GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVES” 5-6 p.m.

Register at https://bit.ly/3w9mT7l

10 FILM PREMIERE, “WRITING ON THE WALL” Rainier Arts Center, 3515 S. Alaska St., Seattle 1-2 p.m.

In-person and live streaming Register at https://ocaseattle.org

17

45TH DISTRICT COMMUNITY MEET & GREET WITH STATE SEN. MANKA DHINGRA Farrel-McWhirter Park, 19545 NE Redmond Rd., Redmond 3 p.m.

RSVP at http://bit.ly/ MeetSenDhingra More info, contact ashley.jackson@leg. wa.gov

31 DRAGON FESTIVAL FOOD WALK Seattle’s C-ID 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

LEE from 1

Welcome Back Weeks in Chinatown-International District, Pioneer Square, Westlake SEATTLE — Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Downtown Seattle Association announced on June 30 the slate of events and promotions that will take place as part of the Welcome Back Weeks occurring from July 12–26 in downtown Seattle.

Welcome Back Weeks are part of the City’s downtown recovery effort, with the goal of bringing workers, small businesses, and visitors back downtown. It will feature promotions across downtown neighborhoods, but large-scale events will take place in the ChinatownInternational District, Pioneer Square, and Westlake.

The first large-scale event will take place at Hing Hay Park on July 17 and 18. The two-day event will be a celebration of local food and culture, and will feature community martial arts demonstrations, cultural performances, and lion dances. There will also be live performances by local artists Hollis, Chong the Nomad, Evan Flory Barnes, Totem Star, Bleachbear, Chrysalis Circus, Massive Monkees, and more. Details on all events can be found at seattle.gov/COVIDrecovery.

“We are excited that Seattle’s reopening events are kicking off in Hing Hay Park,” said Maiko Winkler-Chin, executive director of SCIDpda. “The CID community has been resilient this past year, and we are a community that loves to gather. We are excited to reach this major milestone, have the community celebrate it, and welcome visitors to join us.”

“Chinatown-International District and many BIPOC communities have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Monisha Singh, executive director of the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA). “As the city moves forward with reopening and recovery, it is critical that we continue to support and celebrate this historic district. CIDBIA is excited to support the City’s activation of Hing Hay Park during Welcome Back Weeks, in addition to CIDBIA’s Food Walk series through the summer, and C-ID Night Market in the fall.” 

but this is only the beginning,” Lee posted on Instagram.

She is the first gymnast to beat Biles in any phase of an all-around meet since 2013, according to USA Today.

She scored a 15.300 on the first day of trials, led the balance beam competition, and finished first on the uneven bars.

Lee stated that it was a “really proud moment overall” because it “just felt like all my hard work paid off.” 

View the solution on page 10

Assunta Ng

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

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JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

YOUR VOICE

asianweekly northwest

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■ COMMUNITY HEALTH

WASHINGTON STATE COVID NEWS, UPDATES, RESOURCES AND SERVICES

WILL THE COVID-19 VACCINE BE MANDATORY? It will be your choice whether to get the vaccine for COVID-19. Washington is not currently considering any mandates for the vaccine, but employers could require it. The vaccine will help protect you and others around you from getting COVID-19, and we encourage you to talk to your doctor or clinic about the benefits.

WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGE AND SCHEDULE? • Pfizer-BioNTech: The Pfizer vaccines requires two 0.3 mL (30mcg) doses, given at least 21 days apart.

• Moderna: The Moderna vaccine requires two 0.5 mL (50mcg) doses, given at least 28 days apart.

• Johnson & Johnson - Janssen: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single 0.5 mL (50 mcg) dose.

HOW QUICKLY IS SOMEONE PROTECTED FROM COVID-19 AFTER RECEIVING THE VACCINE? It will take about two weeks after someone finishes the COVID-19 vaccine series to have maximum protection.

IF A PATIENT IS LATE FOR OR MISSES THEIR SECOND DOSE, DO THEY NEED TO RESTART THE SERIES? No. For patients receiving a twodose series COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), patients do not need to restart the COVID-19 vaccine series, but they should get the second dose as soon as possible after the recommended days (21 days for Pfizer, 28 days for Moderna) have passed since their first dose. Patients will still develop a good immune response if they get their second dose later than the recommended time.

HOW DO WE KNOW THE VACCINES ARE SAFE? Researchers collected safety and efficacy data as part of the Phase III clinical trials in the U.S. and other countries. A combined total of over 115,000 volunteers participated in the clinical trials for the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – Janssen COVID-19 vaccines.

Before the vaccines became available here in Washington, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices conducted a review to ensure they could safely recommend the vaccines and for which populations. In addition, the western states Scientific Safety Review Workgroup gave input on vaccine safety and efficacy. Both groups voted to recommend the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 12 years of age and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – Janssen COVID-19 vaccines for people 18 years and older.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will monitor information reported about possible adverse events related to the vaccines.

IS THE VACCINE EFFECTIVE IN ALL AGE GROUPS? Yes, the clinical trials showed similar results in different age groups, including those over 65 years of age.

HOW WILL A COVID-19 VACCINE WORK IN MY BODY? The COVID-19 vaccine teaches your immune system to recognize the coronavirus. When you get the vaccine, your immune system makes antibodies (“fighter cells”) that stay in your blood and protect you in case you are infected with the virus. You get protection against the disease without having to get sick. When enough people in the community can fight off the coronavirus, it has nowhere to go. This means we can stop the spread quicker and get a little closer to ending this pandemic.

To watch a video on how vaccines work in your body, go to youtu.be/k7E88xEGOaE. IS IT COVID-19 OR A VACCINE REACTION? COVID-19 vaccination commonly comes with side effects, such as sore muscles or a fever. If you have symptoms after getting the vaccine, you may wonder if it’s safe to work or go about your tasks safely. Employers may wonder if it’s safe for a staff member to return to in-person work. It can take 1-2 weeks after your second shot before you are fully protected so you could still come down with COVID-19 if you are exposed before then. It’s also important to remember that each person’s immune system works a little differently and the vaccine won’t work for approximately 1 in 2500 people who are vaccinated.

Go to doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/ Documents/1600/coronavirus/820124-CovidVaccineReactions.pdf for a

chart to help you understand if you are reacting to the vaccine or if you might need to get tested for COVID-19 and isolate. If your symptoms go away in a day or two, it may have been just a vaccine reaction. If they continue or you feel like you should, seek medical advice. If there’s a possibility you have COVID-19 or were exposed, please stay away from others as a precaution.

WHAT TYPES OF SYMPTOMS ARE NORMAL AFTER RECEIVING THE VACCINE? Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – Janssen COVID-19 vaccines Like other routine vaccines, the most common side effects are a sore arm, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.

These symptoms are a sign that the vaccine is working. In the Pfizer and Moderna trials, these side effects occurred most often within two days of getting the vaccine, and lasted about a day. Side effects were more common after the second dose than the first dose. In the Johnson & Johnson clinical trials, side effects lasted an average of one to two days.

For all three vaccines, people over 55 were less likely to report side effects than younger people.

Clinical trials found that approximately: Pfizer • 80% of people reported pain at the injection site • 50% of people reported fatigue and headache • 30% of people reported muscle pain Moderna • 90% of people reported pain at the injection site • 70% of people reported fatigue and headache • 60% of people reported muscle pain Johnson & Johnson • 60% of people reported pain at the injection site • 45% of people reported fatigue and headache • 40% of people reported muscle pain You may see some rumors about untrue side effects online or on social media. Make sure any time you see a claim about a side effect that you check the source of that claim. This video can teach you more about how to figure out if a claim online is true or not.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I GET SICK AFTER GETTING THE COVID-19 VACCINE? It’s normal to have some side effects after getting the vaccine. This can be a sign that the vaccine is working. If you experience a medical emergency after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, call 9-11 immediately.

If you get sick after getting the vaccine, you should report the adverse

event to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). An “adverse event” is any health problem or side effect that happens after a vaccination.

WHAT IS VAERS? • VEARS is an early warning system led by the CDC and the FDA. VAERS can help detect problems that may be related to a vaccine.

• Anyone (health care provider, patient, caregiver) can report possible adverse reactions to VAERS. • There are limits to the system.

A VAERS report does not mean the vaccine caused the reaction or outcome. It only means that the vaccination happened first.

• VAERS is set up to help scientists notice trends or reasons they should investigate a possible problem. It is not a list of verified outcomes of vaccination.

• When you make a report to VAERS, you help the CDC and the FDA identify possible health concerns and make sure vaccines are safe. If any issues arise, they will take action and notify health care providers about potential issues.

ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON WHO CAN RECEIVE THE VACCINE? Generally, the COVID-19 vaccines should not be given to anyone who is under the authorized age or has a history of severe allergic reactions to an ingredient or previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer-BioNTech The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should not be given to anyone: • Under 12 years of age until further research can be done on the use of the vaccine for children • With a history of severe or immediate allergic reactions to an ingredient of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, such as polyethylene glycol or polysorbate • Who had a severe or immediate allergic reaction to their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) Moderna The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine should not be given to anyone: • Under 18 years of age until further research can be done on the use of the vaccine for children • With a history of severe or immediate allergic reactions to an ingredient of the Moderna vaccine, such as polyethylene glycol or polysorbate • Who had a severe or immediate allergic reaction to their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) Johnson & Johnson – Janssen • The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should not be given to anyone: • Under 18 years of age until further research can be done on the use of the vaccine for children • With a history of severe allergic reactions to an ingredient of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, such as polysorbate. 

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ABOUT THE COVID-19 VACCINES The COVID-19 vaccines can protect you in several key ways: • They can greatly reduce your chance of getting seriously ill if you get COVID-19 • Completing the vaccine series reduces your chances of hospitalization and lowers your risk of dying from COVID-19 • They are highly effective at preventing COVID-19 • They add to the number of people in the community who are protected from getting COVID-19, making it harder for the disease to spread Experts continue to conduct more studies about the ability of the vaccine to keep people from spreading the virus to others. Once you are fully vaccinated, it is still possible to get COVID-19, but it’s a much smaller chance than if you weren’t vaccinated. You’re also very unlikely to get really sick or need to go to the hospital. The studies found that each of the vaccines had at least 85 percent efficacy in preventing severe COVID-19 illness. The vaccines also prevented many people from getting any COVID-19 symptoms: • Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), 7 % • Pfizer-BioNTech, 95% • Moderna, 94%

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

Cool foods, cool acts for heat relief

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Do you prefer cold or hot weather?

You and I probably would not vote for summer in the last few days. You would hate the heat if you were one of my staff members. To escape the torture, she booked a hotel room for two nights in order to survive the “monstrous heat of an oven at 100 degrees” last Monday.

“It was already hot, like a steam room, in my apartment on Saturday,” she emailed me. “My skin has rashes because of the heat. Not only that, my laptop is heating up like crazy.

I don’t think it can turn on if it keeps heating like that.”

I was raised in really hot sweaty summers in Hong Kong.

And I hated it. Every summer, I had many sleepless nights as it was so hot the bed felt like a burning furnace. There were times I preferred to sleep on the floor with a straw mat.

Still, it didn’t help much. I remember we had the fan on the whole night. Of course, the fan was useless, blowing around hot air. The only way to have air conditioning was to go to a restaurant, theater, or department store.

Seattle was my pick when I decided to live in the United States. Its summers were lovely and cool. My mom often said Seattle had the best summers, with nice weather and pretty greenery all round. Not anymore.

The heat arrived early this year in June. What are we going to do to counter the rest of the summer in July and August?

With global warming, Seattle has become more like Hong Kong.

According to the National Weather Service, Seattle broke a record by having 100 degrees for three consecutive days (last Saturday, Sunday. and Monday).

It’s unbelievable that Hong Kong and Hawaii’s temperatures were in It was 116°F in Everett. the 80s, lower than last Saturday in Seattle.

I gathered tips from friends and my co-workers at the Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post on how to protect ourselves from the heat. Eating the right foods is not enough. We need to plan our day so heat will have a lesser effect on you and your family.

Electronic gadgets can produce a lot of energy at home.

Ceiling fans and air conditioning

Cucumber water with mint and lime

Add coconut water to your fruits to create a healthy and fresh drink.

Coconut water is great for people who sweat a lot. It also possesses electrolytes (minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium), and is also low in cholesterol and antioxidants. But don’t drink it at night as you might have to go to the toilet all night.

No beers or ice creams

Some people think those foods can cool them off.

Actually, it has the opposite effect. The first few sips and spoonfuls might be cold. However, these foods will soon convert into heat in your body as they are high in calories, making you feel hot.

Eat more veggies and fruits

Forget the steak.

Think green.

Meat is great for winter, but not summer. It tends to be higher in calories, which increases body heat. The worst meat to consume during summer is lamb.

Fill your stomach with veggies and fruits when you are hungry.

Watermelon

When we first moved to our new home two decades ago, a friend said, “You need to install a ceiling fan, it makes a difference.” I am glad I listened. My ceiling fan’s purpose is to circulate air, not to bring in coolness in the room. It revolves at about 60 turns per minute, which uses little electricity. I have it on, day and night.

If you have installed air conditioning (AC) and a fan, here is how I alternate between the two for energy efficiency.

Monday morning, my living room’s temperature was 82 degrees. At 6:30 a.m., I turned on the AC. When the room’s temperature dropped to 73 degrees, I turned off the AC. I would then turn on the AC every 40 minutes for eight minutes. That’s how I keep my home cool.

If you have a standing fan, one of my colleagues suggested you put an ice pack in front of the fan—it will blow cool air around the room.

If your standing fan has been with you for more than a decade, perhaps you should shop for a newer model. They are more innovative in design, energy-saving, and powerful than the older models.

“We bought one AC unit in 2014,” said my employee who lives in a Chinatown apartment. “We noticed a while back that Seattle is getting hotter. Now, So we recently bought two more units for each of my grown kids’ room from Amazon.

The new ones can be moved around the apartment.”

Bed sheets

Photo by Assunta Ng

Cool acts

For the sweetest watermelon, the stem should be as small as possible and the green pattern on the skin should be welldefined.

I start my day with big slices of watermelon for breakfast.

Watermelons cool off your body all day long, and contribute to your overall health.

In Asian supermarkets, where there are yellow and red watermelons, pick the red kind. Eating watermelon in the morning can cool you off. Over 70% of watermelon contains water. It will keep you hydrated and feel great. I will not eat watermelons at night. It affects my sleep as I have to visit the toilet in the middle of the night.

Cucumber water with mint and lime

My friend mixes cucumber water with mint and lime to feel refreshed and hydrated. The combined ingredients have a cleansing effect. Health gurus usually suggest drinking this mix for detoxing purposes.

Coconut water

Instead of beer and ice cream, buy coconut water.

What to do when you go out?

Besides wearing my hat, I carry an umbrella to keep my head cool. If I don’t have the umbrella, I could suffer a severe headache afterwards.

Another colleague said wrapping a cooling cloth on your head and neck is another way to prevent heat from getting into your system.

My son John said, “We use a spray bottle and spray ourselves with cool water every hour.” I like the idea. But often forget to do so.

Take a cold shower or go for a swim, said the Northwest Asian Weekly editor.

Cook in the morning

Turn off your stove in the evening, one co-worker said. Do all your cooking in the morning. Better yet, get restaurant takeout. Order enough for dinner so you can avoid using the stove as much as possible.

Your attitude

A Chinese proverb says, “Quiet your heart and you will feel cool.” Don’t get upset so easily because it will heat up your body temperature. Face your hot days with calm and peace of mind. Whatever happens, remember to smile first to face your challenges. Also, try to quiet your mind by staying away from electronics, including watching less television and staying away from computers or cell phones.

If you have the same sets of bed sheets for winter and summer, you need to change it. Cotton sheets make your bed cooler, while sheets made with a percentage of wool will keep you warm during winter.

The same goes for your pajamas. Cotton and silk pajamas are more airy.

If you don’t have AC

If you don’t have AC, it might be too late to get it now as it is sold out almost everywhere. Or if you can find one available, rent a portable air conditioning unit.

You might consider installing central AC later. A friend asked me if he should install air conditioning a few years ago. “Do it,” I urged him. Hot summers will likely be a reality for Seattle, unfortunately.

Your windows

Another staff member opens up her house windows in the morning to let in the breeze. Then, she closes the windows with shades and curtains so the hot sun doesn’t shine through later.

Shades or curtains

Now that Seattle summer is so sizzling hot, it’s best see BLOG on 11

YOUR VOICE

■ AT THE MOVIES

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

7

“F9”: Number nine is not the charm

By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

I settled into my seat for “F9,” expecting nothing new from the longrunning “Fast & Furious” franchise. I was not wrong. Over 145 minutes, I got a lot of slam-bang action, a lot of stuff blowing up, a lot of utterly unbelievable stunts that push the franchise further towards comedy. What I didn’t get was one even vaguely original idea, stance, angle, or sentiment.

Frankly, “F9” left me more than disappointed. I felt good being back in a movie theater after 15 months. The Regal Cinema’s buttery popcorn had me smiling, ditto the reclining seats, once I re-figured out how to work them.

But this onslaught of ideas laundered to see-through thinness, photocopies of photocopies of something that might have looked fresh 20 years ago, reminded me with a wince how formulaic entertainment, asking nothing from the audience and giving back less, represents a substantial portion of what we have to look forward to in our reopened world.

Our story, what there is of it, opens once again on Dominic “Dom” Toretto, played by Vin Diesel. He’s trying to hide

away from the world with his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his young son.

Naturally, hiding lasts only about 90 seconds. The rest of his old crew shows up and demands his attention.

This time, it’s the pursuit and capture of a super-secret, super-powerful device which allows its possessor to conquer the world. We’ve all seen that before.

Securing it from the bad guys involves trips to the far-flung patches of the globe, close calls, narrow escapes, and the team pausing at crucial intervals to discuss their long-running relationships with each other, and decide that everybody’s actually pretty cool.

Justin Lin’s a solid capable, director, but with this script, co-written by

■ WORLD NEWS

AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Aquino, Philippine exleader who challenged China, is buried

A supporter sits beside a picture of former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III beside his tomb on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at a memorial park in suburban Paranaque city, Philippines.

By JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA ASSOCIATED PRESS MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III was buried on June 26 with thousands lining the streets of Manila to remember him for standing up to China in bitter territorial disputes, striking a peace deal with Muslim guerrillas, and defending democracy in the Southeast Asian nation

where his parents helped topple a dictator.

Aquino died on June 24 at age 61 of kidney disease arising from diabetes following a long public absence, after his single, six-year term ended in 2016.

Family and friends sang a patriotic song after a silver urn with Aquino’s remains was placed beside the tomb of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

Military honors included a 21-gun salute see AQUINO on 12

Lin with Daniel Casey, he doesn’t give himself anything substantial to dig into.

Sung Kang, playing the seeminglyimmortal Han Lue (a role he originated in Lin’s film “Better Luck Tomorrow”) pulls out the charm. His own wild story seems borderline-believable and heartfelt—he could have improved the movie with even 10 more minutes of screen time.

Also worth following—newcomer Anna Sawai, a New Zealand native, part Japanese, who went from playing “Annie” in the popular stage musical, to singing with the popular J-Pop ensemble FAKY, to starring roles as a female ninja (“Ninja Assassin”) and a burgeoning career woman (“Pachinko”). She’s fleet, sleek, and captivating. I’m expecting more from

her.

The one and only new wrinkle in this installment stems from the discovery of a long-lost brother to Dominic. Jakob (played by John Cena) feels humiliated by Dom and is determined to do everything the exact opposite of Dom. So when an opportunity to conquer the world arises, Jakob naturally jumps in, seeking validation and destruction of Dom into the bargain.

But even this comes out stilted. The film holds not one line, not one emphasis, not one pause, that hasn’t been plucked out of a Hallmark card and then thinned, stretched, and faded from overuse elsewhere. The motors roar, the soundtrack blares, the metal crunches. Justin Lin could direct this with his eyes closed.

I left the credits running and filed out to catch a bus. Two lunatics screamed at each other across Pike Street. A homeless man pushed past on an electric scooter. He had no money for the motor, so he shoved along with one foot. Other homeless folks mocked him.

That’s our new normal, same as the old normal. The resurrection of garden-variety vexations, vacuous entertainment included.

I wish I could scowl a little less.  “F9” is currently playing in local theaters.

Andrew can be reached at y info@nwasianweekly.com.

8

asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

■ WORLD NEWS

Japanese soccer player Yokoyama comes out as transgender

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO (AP) — Japanese soccer player Kumi Yokoyama said they are transgender—a revelation praised in the U.S. where they play in the National Women’s Soccer League but an identity not legally recognized in Japan.

The 27-year-old forward for the Washington Spirit said they felt more comfortable with their own gender identity while living in the United States, where teammates and friends are more open to gender and sexual diversity.

“I’m coming out now,” Yokoyama said in a video talk on former teammate Yuki Nagasato’s YouTube channel. “In the future, I want to quit soccer and live as a man.”

Yokoyama’s revelation was praised by President Joe Biden.

Kumi Yokoyama

“To Carl Nassib and Kumi Yokoyama— two prominent, inspiring athletes who came out: I’m so proud of your courage.

Because of you, countless kids around the world are seeing themselves in a new light today,“ Biden tweeted. Nassib is the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

The Spirit also expressed the team’s support and pride in Yokoyama.

“Thank you for showing the world it’s ok to embrace who you are!” the team tweeted, adding that the player uses they/ them pronouns.

Support and awareness of gender and sexual diversity has slowly grown in Japan, but LGBTQ people lack many legal protections and often suffer discrimination, causing many to hide their sexual identities. An equality law pushed by rights groups was scrapped recently due to opposition from the conservative ruling party.

Transgender people in Japan also must have their reproductive organs removed to have their gender recognized on official

documents—a requirement that human rights and medical groups criticize as inhuman and unnecessary and say should end.

In a society where pressure for conformity is extremely high, disclosure of an LGBTQ sexual identity is rare, especially in sports, which rights activists say remains unfriendly to LGBTQ people because of its gender specificity.

Yokoyama said they weren’t enthusiastic about coming out but it was a choice made while thinking about the future and that it would be harder to live closeted.

“I would not have come out in Japan,“ they said.

They thanked their teammates, friends, and girlfriend for their support and courage.

Yokoyama played for Japan at the see YOKOYAMA on 10

Japan top court says married couples must adopt one surname

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Supreme Court ruled on June 23 that laws requiring married couples to have the same surname are constitutional, dismissing a challenge by three couples seeking to keep their original names.

The decision to affirm a 2015 Supreme Court ruling was a major disappointment for rights activists who say the laws violate the constitution’s guarantee of gender equality since women almost always sacrifice their surnames.

The three couples challenged provisions of the Civil Code and the family registration law after they were unable to register their marriages at local government offices using separate surnames.

The decision by the Supreme Court’s 15-member grand bench comes as Japan is faced with calls to accept diversity in gender, family and sexuality. Public opinion

is increasingly supportive of an option to allow couples to keep separate surnames.

Under Article 750 of the Civil Code, a couple must adopt “the surname of the husband or wife” at the time of marriage. Although the law does not specify which name, 96% of women adopt their husbands’ surnames. As more women pursue careers, an increasing number seek to keep using their maiden names at work, while using their registered surnames in legal documents.

In Japanese tradition, a woman marries into her husband’s household, a concept of marriage supported by the 1898 Civil Code.

In its ruling, the court acknowledged that those who change their surnames are usually women and they could feel a loss of identity and face other disadvantages, but said that continued informal use of their maiden names is possible.

Some companies and government offices now allow

female employees to keep using their maiden names at work.

The 2015 Supreme Court ruling urged parliament to discuss the surname issue instead of issuing a legal judgement, but parliamentary deliberation has stalled because of opposition by conservative members of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Liberal Democratic Party.

They support traditional gender roles and a paternalistic family system, arguing that allowing the option of separate surnames would destroy family unity and affect children.

Suga’s government also postponed a goal of having women in 30% of decision-making positions at companies and government offices from March 2020 to later in the 2020s, and excluded a commitment to allowing separate surnames as part of a gender equality promotion effort.

Under Suga’s government, equal rights legislation for sexual minorities was also scrapped due to his party’s opposition. 

Japan ups health controls as Olympic athlete tests positive

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on June 28 to strengthen health controls at airports after a Ugandan Olympic team member tested positive for COVID-19 at the town hosting their training camp, triggering concerns that the upcoming

games will spread infections.

A Ugandan team member, reportedly a coach, tested positive on June 26 at Tokyo’s Narita airport and was quarantined there. But the rest of the nine-person team was allowed to travel more than 300 miles on a chartered bus to their pre-Olympics camp in the western prefecture of Osaka.

Three days later, a second Ugandan also tested positive for the virus, forcing seven town officials and drivers who had close contact with the team to self-isolate. The team members were quarantined at a local hotel.

Concerns escalated after it was announced that both Ugandans had the delta variant of the virus, which is believed to spread more easily.

In response to criticism of the case, Suga rushed to

Tokyo’s Haneda international airport to inspect virus testing for arrivals and vowed to ensure appropriate border controls as growing numbers of Olympic and Paralympic participants enter Japan ahead of the July 23 opening of the games.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Japan plans to step up quarantine requirements for Olympic athletes and other participants from areas where the delta strain has been detected by requiring daily virus tests for seven days prior to departure to Japan—extended from the current four days—and up to 14 days after entry and training in isolation in the first three days.

The Uganda case illustrated that Japan’s border see SUGA on 11

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

9

Predictions and advice for the week of July 3–July 9, 2021

By Sun Lee Chang Rat—While the odds are in your favor, success isn’t guaranteed. You must do the work to achieve the desired outcome.

Dragon—Outward appearances can be deceiving. Don’t assume that calmness on the surface reflects what lies beneath.

Monkey—If an assignment is pending, try to get it done sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until the last minute.

Ox—Complete the last project before you begin a new one. There is great value in finishing what you started.

Snake—Avoid getting so caught up in the game that you forget what you are actually playing for.

Rooster—Looking forward to the next chapter?

Keep in mind the lessons that you have learned up to this point.

Tiger—If you feel strongly about an issue, weigh in early enough so that your wishes can be taken into account.

Rabbit—You are capable of patience and understanding with others. If possible, allow yourself that same latitude.

Horse—An inspired path may prove to be quite challenging to follow, but it’s well worth the potential benefits.

Goat—Do you feel like you are in over your head? Despite the steep learning curve, you will eventually figure it out.

Dog—Multitasking can be a timesaver, but only if you are selective about which jobs or errands to combine.

Pig—You have made significant contributions that should not be diminished. Take pride in what you have accomplished.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? 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 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.

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for KC000228, Engineering Services for McSorley Creek Shoreline & Estuary Restoration Project;

by King County Procurement and Payables Section until 12:00 PM on July 29, 2021.

Total Estimated Price for Phase 1: $580,000 Total Estimated Price for all Phases: $2,000,000 This project is funded in part, by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife acting through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. This project is a match to the US Environmental Protection Agency funding source and the same provisions apply as if this project were funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a federal subaward.

TAITUNG R E S TA U R A N T

Established in 1935

• Catering • Cocktails • Valet parking • Banquet facilities Hours Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.

655 S. King St. Seattle 206-622-7714 or 622-7372

In accordance with EPA’s policy on the utilization of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and disadvantaged business enterprises in procurement, where subconsulting opportunities are available the Contractor shall make good faith efforts to ensure to the fullest extent possible that it subcontracts with Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) firms. The applicable MBE/ WBE fair share objectives/goals negotiated with EPA by the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises are 10% MBE and 4% WBE. Both MBE and WBE firms must be certified by the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises.

King County, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Prospective proposers can view more details at: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/ solicitations Contact: Regina Sparano, rsparano@ kingcounty.gov, 206-477-4807

10

asianweekly northwest

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

39 YEARS

CLASSIFIEDS employmeNT Vehicle maintenance Worker 2 Full-time. Excellent benefits + $22.35/hr to $24.68/hr. Fuel & perform other servicing duties, clean interior & exterior of vehicles, buildings, offices, homes, etc. Req: Minimum of 6 months experience servicing & cleaning vehicles, buildings, offices, homes, etc.. Desirable: Experience driving a large vehicle (2 ton truck, 35-40 foot bus, etc.) and knowledge of diesel engines. Must possess and maintain a Class B Washington State commercial driver’s license with a passenger, hazardous materials and tanker endorsements, and with the air brake restriction removed. Visit kitsaptransit.appone.com to apply.

Deadline: 4:00pm on Friday, July 16th, 2021. Kitsap Transit is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

employmeNT

employmeNT

peony modern Kitchen chef Looking for an experienced wok chef to work at Peony Modern Kitchen, an upscale Chinese fusion restaurant. Must have at least 3 years experience cooking at a Chinese restaurant as a wok chef.Must have open availability working 50-60 hours per week.

Pay is $4,500-$5,000 per month depending on experience. Please contact Chef Yang at 206-8194838 and leave a message and he will contact you.

caregiver/Home care Aide Needed in Seattle ($20 per hour).

WoK cHeF with so-so English KiTcHeN mANAGeR with good English for upscale restaurant.

Good work ethnic.

-Team work. Good Pay. -Both with good benefits.

Call 206-502-9942

KCHA will accept Bids from Qualified General contractors for the Wayland Arms electrical panel Replacement project located in Auburn, WA. See website for details at www.kcha.org/business/ construction/open/

Find NWAW on social media on Facebook, Twitter

Find us on Twitter and Facebook!

Please contact 206 629 5037 for more information

NoTice

KCHA will accept Bids from Qualified General contractors for the mardi Gras - Heating Systems Upgrade project located in Kent, WA. See website for details at www.kcha.org/business/construction/open/

Subscribe to the Northwest Asian Weekly $40 Name_____________________________ Address ___________________________ City _______________________State____ Zip Code ___________________________ Phone _____________________________ Mail to: NW Asian Weekly 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 or call 206-223-0623

DONE RITE

CARPET CLEANING

206-487-8236

SUGA from 8 health controls can be easily breached, Tokyo Medical Association Chairman Haruo Ozaki said on NHK public television.

“Apparently the border controls are not adequate, even though there has been plenty of time to work on them,” he said.

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said the entire team should have been quarantined at Narita airport.

Government officials initially defended the airport health controls as having properly detected and isolated the positive case, and said that contact tracing and isolation of those suspected of having had close contact was not their job but that of local health officials.

“No matter what measures you take, infected people would come in and it is unavoidable,’’ Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita

YOKOYAMA from 8 2019 Women’s World Cup in France and moved from Japanese club AC Nagano Parceiro to the Washington Spirit.

COVID-19 from 3 returned from Wuhan on Jan. 15 and sought help at a clinic on Jan. 19.

CDC officials initially said the spark that started the U.S. outbreak arrived during a three-week window from midJanuary to early February. But research since then—including some done by the CDC—has suggested a small number of infections occurred earlier.

A CDC-led study published in December 2020 that analyzed 7,000 samples from American Red Cross blood donations suggested the virus infected some Americans as early as the middle of December 2019.

The latest study, published online on June 15 by the journal Clinical Infectious

Yokoyama said they felt a strong pressure to conform and remain closeted in Japan but hoped to live as a man after retiring as a professional soccer player and to help raise awareness for sexual minorities in Japan.

“More people in Japan are becoming familiar with the

Diseases, is by a team including researchers at the National Institutes of Health. They analyzed blood samples from more than 24,000 people across the country, collected in the first three months of 2020 as part of a long-term study called “All Of Us” that seeks to track 1 million Americans over years to study health.

Like the CDC study, these researchers looked for antibodies in the blood that are taken as evidence of coronavirus infection, and can be detected as early as two weeks after a person is first infected.

The researchers say seven of the nine study participants—three from Illinois, and one each from Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—were infected earlier than any COVID-19 case was originally

NAVY SHIP from 3 The campaign has grassroots enthusiasm, and support from Democratic Congress members who sent a letter in May to Thomas Harker, acting secretary of the Navy.

There are other Navy vessels named for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including the USS Daniel Inouye, a destroyer. The former U.S. senator received the Medal of Honor as part of the celebrated 442nd Infantry Regiment, made up of Americans of Japanese descent whose families were incarcerated in camps during World War II. There was a U.S. Navy ship named for a Filipino person, but Gaerlan says the USS Rizal, a destroyer in service from 1919 to 1931, was donated by the Philippine Legislature and honors Jose Rizal, a national hero who never served in the military.

More than two dozen Asian and Pacific Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor since its creation during

said at a news conference in Tokyo.

“Strict border control at airports is extremely important,” Yamashita said, urging the government to do more instead of pushing all the responsibility of contact tracing on local authorities.

Experts have noted a significant increase in the movement of people in Tokyo and other metropolitan areas since the easing of a state of emergency on June 21 and warned of signs of a resurgence of infections in the

Tokyo region.

On June 28, Tokyo reported 317 new cases, up from 236 from a week earlier, the ninth consecutive day of week-onweek increases, with an increase in cases of the delta variant. That could accelerate the resurgence to levels that might require another state of emergency during the Olympics, experts said. 

word LGBTQ and it’s seen more (in the media), but I think awareness won’t grow unless people like myself come out and raise our voices,” Yokoyama said. 

reported in those states.

One of the Illinois cases was infected as early as Christmas Eve, said Keri Althoff, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the study’s lead author.

It can be difficult to distinguish antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from antibodies that fight other coronaviruses, including some that cause the common cold. Researchers in both the NIH and CDC studies used multiple types of tests to minimize false positive results, but some experts say it still is possible their 2019 positives were infections by other coronaviruses and not the pandemic strain.

“While it is entirely plausible that the virus was introduced into the United States

the Civil War, mostly in the U.S. Army, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. There are roughly 3,500 recipients.

Telesforo Trinidad, born in 1890, enlisted in 1910 in the Insular Force established by then-President William McKinley and served in both world wars. More than 250,000 Filipino soldiers served in World War II, and thousands died during the brutal 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines.

Rene Trinidad, 65, said it goes against his cultural upbringing to call attention to his grandfather’s heroism, but his late father wanted the recognition for his father, who overcame hardship, merited a medal and worked hard to provide for his family. Two sons followed him into the U.S. Navy.

“The bottom line is that Filipinos be recognized for their contribution to the United States, and that every Filipino should be proud of that as well,” he said. 

much earlier than is usually appreciated, it does not mean that this is necessarily strong enough evidence to change how we’re thinking about this,“ said William Hanage, a Harvard University expert on disease dynamics.

The NIH researchers have not followed up with study participants yet to see if any had traveled out of the U.S. prior to their infection. But they found it noteworthy that the seven did not live in or near New York City or Seattle, where the first wave of U.S. cases were concentrated.

“The question is how did, and where did, the virus take seed,” Althoff said.

The new study indicates “it probably seeded in multiple places in our country,” she added. 

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

YOUR VOICE

to have light-colored curtains or shades. Dark colors absorb heat. You may want to change your curtains just for the summer if you have dark ones. Having both shades and curtains can keep hot air from coming into your room. Air conditioning all the time is unnecessary.

Set up chairs in cool spots

Find out where the cool spots are in your apartment or house. My staff member puts chairs in the cooler corners of her house, so the family can sit. I remember that decades ago, my family moved dinners to the basement during some hot summer nights because it was the coolest part of the house.

Carry a fan

In the olden days, there were no electric fans or air conditioning, people carried paper fans,

Frustration with SPD

A wistful, wizened man with an air of having seen it all, Shoji was formerly a pool hustler up and down the West Coast.

Eventually, in 1985, he bought the small apartment building on Beacon Hill with a store on the first floor, which he ran.

He decided to give the building to his daughter after she was born “so she could have something to fall back on in case anything went wrong.”

Shoji, who is also a writer and author of graphic novels about the history of Japan’s transition from the medieval feudal era to modern times, lives in one of the apartments, a cluttered space overflowing with books, an old typewriter, tools, and a very large cat he adopted that he simply calls “fat cat.”

During the interview, on June 27, he sits with the cat on his lap stroking her head and body again and again gently while the cat writhes, loving it.

In a series of notes he composed after the incidents, Shoji said that SPD complained they were understaffed.

“I’m frustrated, the fact that it took six weeks for his arrest,” he said. “But the cops have a lot of problems right now.”

In response to the issue raised by the Northwest Asian Weekly, Michaud said, “We are understaffed. As a department, we have been losing officers for a few years now and have been making attempts to hire new officers, but the rates of loss are still higher than the rates of hiring.”

11

my friend wrote. I don’t even have a paper fan at home. Sounds like a joke!

I used to love Seattle summers, and bragged to friends who live in southern California, the Midwest, and the East Coast. Now I can barely tolerate it. It’s not the summer I used to know and love.

Still, I am grateful that I can find solutions to cool our home. Our summer is still comfortable compared to other cities, which are close to locations where forest fires break out, or have fewer trees. Seattle has plenty of greenery and is next to water, such as the Puget Sound, Lake Washington, and Lake Union. Without those, our climate could be worse.

“I fled to Hawaii,” my editor said. Sounds like a wonderful option if you can travel now.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

WFH (Working from Hawaii) sounds like a great idea.

ASSAULT from 1 “Officers responded to this case in the same way they always do. Which is to say that when we received the call, officers responded to the scene, did a basic investigation, and attempted to determine if there was any immediate threat to life or property.”

Michaud added, “While it may seem that nothing was happening, or that what was happening wasn’t at the speed the victim may have liked, we still have to respond in a manner that respects the rights of all parties involved.”

Dean is the ex-boyfriend of one of Shoji’s tenants. But when Shoji heard a report that Dean and others were firing automatic weapons (which apparently belonged to Dean) on the rooftop, Shoji asked him to leave.

Dean refused and eventually concocted a story that his weapons had been stolen, according to Shoji. When Shoji asked to conduct an inspection, the threats started.

Dean left an intimidating note for him, which Shoji showed to the Northwest Asian Weekly.

“If I were not an older Asian man, he would not have felt he could take advantage of me,” said Shoji.

northwest

Photo by Ruth Bayang

BLOG from 6

asianweekly

Michaud also said that given the limited amount of time provided to him, he could not speak to the attempts officers made at reaching out in this specific case and did “not want to misspeak or mislead you.”

Shoji’s daughter, who flew in from another state, had worked with a lawyer to obtain a restraining order against Dean.

“But [Dean] was out here today,” said Shoji, drooping back in an old metal couch on his deck. “He’s not supposed to be here.”

What was most inexplicable, Shoji said, is that after the assault, police arrested Dean’s ex-girlfriend who was in her car on the street. She had burst into his apartment a few hours before Dean barged in, Shoji said, then left.

Police failed to arrest Dean because, according to Shoji, Dean’s ex-girlfriend told SPD that Dean was in the hospital with two broken legs and a shoulder injury. She reportedly told the police that Shoji had assaulted Dean with his cane.

The police, believing her initially, asked Shoji for his cane as evidence, he said.

On asking for Shoji’s cane as evidence, Michaud said, “We absolutely did. Based on statements, it was used to assault a person. That makes it evidence and we have an obligation to maintain evidence of a crime.”

The video appears to show Shoji clutching his cane only after Dean had left.

Caught on video

The video itself is nightmarish. Dean is all padded up, a towering figure, his movements crisp and violent. Despite there being no sound, you can see his head moving up and down frantically as he screams at Shoji, who is standing back in his hallway. After he strikes Shoji, Shoji gets up again, and Dean pursues him off camera into his bedroom. For several minutes, the screen shows only an empty hallway.

Then Dean strides out, shaking off his arms.

After a moment, Shoji comes struggling out again. Dean again fells him with a harsh violent blow, then kicks him while he’s lying on the floor.

Still, until June 28, Shoji claims that SPD declined to take any further action.

In his perplexity over the slowness of the police to respond, Shoji wonders if some members of the police are delaying their response times to show their anger and frustration over the increasing calls for police reform in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“That’s in the news. That’s been the accusation,” said Shoji. “That’s what I heard.”

“Our response times remain relatively unchanged over pretty much the last decade,” said Michaud. He said response times could be seen on: http://www. seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/ calls-for-service-dashboard

Complications

Shoji’s father, who was born in Japan, was trained as a samurai. He left Shoji a 500-year-old sword, which he now has polished up.

But Shoji is a pacifist. He taught selfdefense classes decades earlier. It was for this reason, he believes, that Dean, knowing of his past in martial arts, padded up with armor of a sort before barging into his apartment. In the video,

besides the helmet, he is wearing some kind of chest protector.

Shoji said that when Dean threatened him once earlier, he felt it necessary to demonstrate that he could defend himself.

“I made a physical move and pulled it short,” he said. “I told him that before he knew it, I could gouge his eyes out.”

Shoji has been unable to evict his tenant, who invited Dean and three other people, including a young child, to live with her. There has been no payment of any rent since the pandemic started, he said, despite his tenant receiving unemployment benefits.

Shoiji’s daughter was able to receive $12,000 from St. Vincent de Paul to help with their own payments, which covered about half the rent. And Shoji had originally decided to let the rest go for the sake of the child and the others.

“There are a lot of people with no place to go.”

But the automatic weapons were an issue. After the police arrested Dean’s ex-girlfriend, Shoji told them not to press charges against her.

“I didn’t want to see a mother going to prison.”

Now he wonders if that was a mistake.

“When [Dean] came into my house, I should not have let my guard down. I should have defended myself right away.

I wouldn’t have acted this way 20 years ago.”

Asked if the assault would be considered a hate crime, especially given the racially charged language, Michaud offered a clarification.

“Yes, if he is assaulting someone or committing some other crime BECAUSE of a person’s protected status, then yes, that counts as a bias crime and charging can be much different for that,” he said.

Shoji says he is going to post the video on social media where it can be found under his name.  Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

12

asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

JULY 3 – JULY 9, 2021

For more than a year now, restaurants in Seattle have been stretched thin while state and health officials tried to tame the pandemic.

Restaurant owners have had to shut down, operate as take-out only, let go of staff, and get creative to keep their businesses alive.

Take 116-year-old Japanese restaurant Maneki for instance.

During the pandemic, Maneki had Tai Tung team to shut down but it received a new lease of life. Cash donations poured in from patrons to help keep the institution afloat.

Overwhelmed by the love and support, Nakayama decided to operate as take-out only and kickstarted a website, manekiseattle.com, where customers can place their orders online. The restaurant has learned many lessons through the pandemic. For Nakayama, two stand out.

“First, is our ability to be highly adaptive in an industry that can be made or broken so easily without sustained financial stability,” Nakayama said. “Second, do not underestimate the compassion and neighborly love by our community. We are grateful for all the care and support in our time of need,” she said.

Having never provided take out service in the restaurant’s history, Nakayama saw it as an opportunity for Maneki to continue something that her customers enjoy. Given the small size of their kitchen, the restaurant is working on the details of how it will uphold its stellar dining experience while being able to offer convenient take out items.

“We may need to ask for some patience as we determine what we are able to offer,” Nakayama said, hinting at what their take-out might include, “Everyone seems to miss our sushi and sashimi.”

During the past year Maneki had to reduce staff and hours and some of their seasoned workers had to find additional work elsewhere to make ends meet. As restaurants reopen, Maneki is cautious.

“Our approach will be a slower reopening due to limited staffing so as to not overwhelm our chefs,” Nakayama said. She confirms that hiring in the service industry is

AQUINO from 7 at the private cemetery.

Aquino’s family did not want him or his parents buried at the national Heroes’ Cemetery, where past presidents and top officials had been laid to rest, including dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Aquino’s mother and his assassinated father, an anti-Marcos opposition senator, helped lead a resistance that sparked a 1986 army-backed “people power” revolt, which ousted Marcos.

“In his journey beyond, his two heroic parents will be there to embrace him,” Archbishop Socrates Villegas said during Mass.

Villegas praised Aquino for living up to an image of a humble and incorruptible politician who detested the trappings of power. Fighting back tears, Villegas said he envied Aquino because he was now in a place “where God’s commandments are no longer transgressed and God’s name is no longer blasphemed, where vulgarity and brutality and terror are vanquished by compassion.”

The remarks, broadcast live by TV networks, were an oblique criticism of the current populist president, Rodrigo Duterte, whose brash style, expletivelaced rhetoric and tirades against the country’s dominant church stood in sharp contrast to Aquino. Church leaders have criticized Aquino’s successor for a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has killed thousands of petty suspects and alarmed Western governments and human rights watchdogs.

Although Duterte has publicly ridiculed the opposition Aquino was associated with, he called for the outpouring of sympathy for Aquino to be turned into an “opportunity to unite in prayer and set aside our differences.”

“His memory and his family’s legacy

challenging in a field where everyone is competing for the same talent as they scout for new replacements.

“We hope to attract passionate applicants who want to be part of the community and legacy of Maneki,” she said.

However, things haven’t been quiet at the restaurant during this period. A $45,000 investment from Puget Sound Energy has resulted in the restaurant becoming more energy efficient with better lighting and energy-saving appliances.

Dimmable lights in the tatami room and a walk through Maneki’s history in pictures is what patrons can expect when they finally score a table at the restaurant.

“Honestly, we are still concerned for our elders,” Nakayama said. “We know progress is being made and we look forward to seeing those smiles again in our tatami rooms soon.”

“Covid has affected us deeply,” said Vivian Xiao, the owner of Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant. “We had so few customers because everyone was afraid to go out to eat.

Then, things got very expensive during the pandemic.

When customers come in without masks, we provide one.

Mask prices have been rising. It costs more than $1 each.

We have to serve our customers with plastic gloves—which cost as much as $20 for a pack of 100. This does not include the increased food prices or the prices of to-go boxes.”

Ho Ho re-opened on June 30, and the restaurant is requesting that customers wear masks for everyone’s safety.

If you’ve missed Harry Chan’s welcoming face behind the counter, reading the hand-written specials on the mirror or just simply ordering your favorite dish at Tai Tung Restaurant, you will soon be able to go back in there and pretend like the pandemic never happened.

of offering their lives for the cause of democracy will forever remain etched in our hearts,” Duterte said.

After Mass, Aquino’s urn was carried in a convoy to the cemetery with thousands of people lining roadsides and taking pictures. Some wore yellow clothing or ribbons, the color associated with the Aquino-led political opposition.

“We’re bidding goodbye, and want to say thank you to a decent man who became president,“ said one supporter, Teddy Lopez, who waited for the convoy outside the cemetery. “We were respected by the whole world during his time.“ President Joe Biden called Aquino a “valued friend and partner to the United States” who served his country “with integrity and selfless dedication.”

Aquino, whose family spent years in U.S. exile during Marcos’ rule, had turbulent ties with China as president.

After Beijing sent ships to occupy a shoal off the Philippine coast, Aquino authorized the filing in 2013 of a complaint that questioned the validity of China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea before an international arbitration tribunal. The Philippines largely won. But China refused to join in the arbitration and dismissed the tribunal’s 2016 ruling.

“There are those who thought the rule of law did not apply to great powers.

He rejected that view and proved them wrong,“ said former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who served under Aquino.

Del Rosario, with Aquino’s approval, led efforts to bring the country’s disputes with China to international arbitration.

Aquino’s challenge to the rising superpower was praised by Western and Asian governments but plunged relations with Beijing to an all-time low.

At home, one of Aquino’s major successes was the signing of a 2014 peace

Photo by Assunta Ng

RESTAURANTS from 1

Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant storefront

“We didn’t have to lay off any of our staff due to the pandemic,” Chan said. Instead, the restaurant reduced hours when things came to a crawl last year. That will save Chan the trouble of looking for new staff in a job market where good staff has become very hard to find.

When things reopen, Chan expects business to return to 70-80% of what it was pre-pandemic.

“I think people will still be a little hesitant to come out and dine, but we are always hoping for the best,” he said.

Slow business forced Jade Garden to up its delivery game during the pandemic. Eric Chan, whose family owns the restaurant, made delivery runs as far as Factoria to deliver dumplings to customers on the Eastside. To make things more difficult, the restaurant was vandalized and burglarized twice in 2020.

Unable to see their favorite restaurant boarded up, muralists covered the boards with art, sparking a movement that saw other artists cover boarded up windows throughout the International District with messages of hope and solidarity that have become a sign of community and resilience during an especially tough time.

The pandemic has changed a lot of things for Jade Garden, but Chan said, “We are going to be here doing what we have always done—serving people like we always have done.”  Janice can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

deal with the largest Muslim separatist rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, that eased decades of fighting in the country’s south.

Teresita Deles, who served as Aquino’s peace adviser, said the pact prevented the rebels, who are now helping administer a Muslim autonomous region, from pressing on with an insurgency at a time when the Islamic State group was trying to gain a foothold in Southeast Asia.

“It changed the whole landscape of their lives. The children’s schooling has not been interrupted for seven years and the fields are planted again,” Del. But while Aquino moved against corruption—detaining his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and three powerful senators—and initiated antipoverty programs, the deep-seated inequalities and weak institutions in the Philippines remained too daunting.

Arroyo was eventually cleared of corruption charges because of insufficient evidence.

Opponents pounded on missteps, although Aquino left office with high approval ratings. Philippine presidents are limited to a single term.

Aquino campaigned against Duterte in 2016, warning that a looming dictator would set back the democratic and economic momentum achieved in his own term. He also warned of potential dangers if Marcos’ namesake and son, who was then separately running for the vice presidency, would triumph. He criticized Marcos’ son for refusing to acknowledge that his dictator-father “did the country wrong.”

Aquino then warned that backers of the late dictator were trying to rewrite the horrors of the martial law era under Marcos.

“Let me also remind you that the dictatorship has many faces,” Aquino said

in February 2016. “There are other personalities who want to reinstate all these to deprive the people of the right processes and put in the hands of one man the power to determine what is right and what is wrong, and who is innocent and who is guilty.”

Duterte won with a large margin, and later allowed Marcos to be buried with military honors at the Heroes’ Cemetery. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch called Duterte’s first year in office, when he launched his bloody anti-drug crackdown, a “human rights calamity.”

Marcos’ son lost the vice presidential race by a slim margin, and is reportedly considering a run for the same office, or even the top post, when Duterte’s term ends next year. 

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