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VACCINE PASSPORTS from 1
“They were coming to live in homes and care for older Singaporeans. They had family sponsors, but now they can’t travel there because they don’t have access to vaccines in the countries they come from. Rather than requiring a vaccine, why not just offer a flexible tool like a negative test 72 hours before travel?” Jecker said.
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Eighty-five percent of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus have gone into the arms of people living in rich countries, a statistic Jecker cites in her paper, “Vaccine passports and health disparities: a perilous journey,” published in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
“What message does that send to migrant workers who need to travel for work, but can’t access vaccines?” she asked.
Such concerns reflect a struggle on the part of policy makers and their advisers, between the desire to roll out initiatives— such as vaccine passports—as quickly as possible in the face of the pandemic and the understanding that until the most vulnerable are cared for, such measures could be ultimately ineffective.
“I just take an alternate view that equity concerns don’t inherently disqualify a policy. At different times since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been concerns about equity in lockdowns, vaccine rollouts, and covid relief. But should those concerns have stopped us from implementing those policies at all?” said Josh Liao, a physician and director of the Value and Systems Science Lab at the UW.
Liao contends that a multi-pronged approach can also be more pragmatic. Different countries can implement different measures—and do so already. Some, with full access to vaccines, might use vaccine passports. Those, such as countries from which caregivers that need to fly for work like the women Jecker interviewed, could be subject to less intrusive measures, such as COVID testing and a masking mandate.
“What we’ve seen in the last year is that different countries, either in concert with each other or alone, will implement their own measures about how to protect the public, their populations,” said Liao.
In one sense, the approaches are not too dissimilar. Jecker calls for “flex passes” instead of vaccine passports— these could be the masking and testing that Liao calls for. But for Liao, vaccine passports are simply another tool that should be implemented along with others.
“Even if you are vaccinated and get a passport, does that mean the end of masking? Does that mean the end of testing? Does that mean the end of quarantine if you or a close contact develops symptoms? If you believe in variants, breakthrough cases, and the need to adjust policy to both, then you would use vaccine passports alongside other measures,” he said. “It’s not an either-or situation.”
Jecker bases her argument on health equity, applying it both globally and domestically. Domestically, vaccine passports should not be used until vaccines are widely available and equitably distributed, she said. Even then, Jecker worries about policing and the possibility of racial profiling. In her article, Jecker points to China’s practice of forced testing of African nationals as an ominous sign.
“It’s easy to think this wouldn’t happen here. But the Black Lives Matter protests remind us how entrenched and widespread racism is, especially in the area of policing, so I worry about who’s going to be charged with enforcement and what impact this might have in the long run on societal trust,” she said.
Equity ought to be a concern before policy makers and experts even begin to focus on any specific policy, agreed Dr. Tracy M. Hilliard, director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Engagement at Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), a nonprofit. Hilliard is also a clinical assistant professor of Child, Family, and Population Health in the UW School of Nursing.
“It’s important for the people with power and decision-making authority to not only ask experts, so to speak, in medicine, in policy, or in public health, but to ask those folks that are furthest from justice and most impacted by inequities in our country, to ask them what their perspectives are, ask them what they feel should happen,” she said. “That way we can ensure that those who are most impacted, that their needs and perspectives are considered and prioritized.”
One area of agreement is that the pandemic creates a “moving target” with changing messaging from the government and scientific uncertainty about mutations and the efficacy of the vaccines.
For Jecker, this is all the more reason to disavow vaccine passports. In fact, Jecker argues that a vaccine passport could lead people to let down their guard and mingle, leading to more viral spread. She cited the fact that vaccinated people can transmit the Delta variant.
The contrast between the pandemic in the U.S. and poorer parts of the world underscores catastrophic differences in equity, said Dr. Stella Gran-O’Donnell, associate director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Engagement at MPHI. Gran-O’Donnell is also a lecturer and field instructor in the UW School of Social Work.
“Here, getting a vaccine is a choice. In comparison, developing countries such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India with limited or no access to vaccines, hospitals, and medical infrastructure continue to be plagued with the surging tide of new cases and deaths,” said GranO’Donnell. “While the U.S. remains wellresourced with a surplus of vaccinations in some locales, India broke the world record of over 400,000 new cases in early May, along with an increase of over 3,500 deaths.”
As a result of such disparities, said Gran-O’Donnell, vaccine passports will serve as a disincentive to vaccination, both domestically and globally.
“The issue of vaccine passports will disproportionately burden those who have been most vulnerable to contracting and dying from COVID-19, Black and brown individuals, and communities of color in the U.S., along with their counterparts of those living in poverty and oppressed individuals and groups around the world,” she said. “Eligibility for these types of passports and fear of government by communities of color, along with deportation most common among Mexican and other Latino immigrants, contributes to lower vaccination rates and ongoing disparities and inequities.”
Jecker, who is a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for South Africa, further argues that it is currently estimated that it won’t be until 2023 or 2024 that some low- and middleincome countries have vaccine access. Imposing a vaccine requirement for travel before being able to fly will create a “rich person’s club” and make the skies “unfriendly,” she contends.
“While the conversation in places like the U.S. is that vaccine passports are unfair to vaccine refusers, in poorer nations, the concern is that there is no vaccine access at all,” she said.
But Liao said that it makes sense to recognize the realities of different distributions of vaccines and for residents of countries that have access to vaccines to get vaccinated first. Such an approach will contribute to the global good, he said.
Still, said Jecker, vaccine passports could contribute to the hardening of divisions between the rich and poor.
Marginalized groups in the U.S., for instance, had less access to vaccinations when they were first rolled out, she said. More privileged counties—areas “with less social vulnerability”—received them first. Vaccine passports could further alienate groups already “cautious” about vaccines, she said, further dividing people.
Liao clarified that his argument was not contrary to Jecker’s position. If anything, he would only emphasize that policy makers have had to think about equity issues in every part of the pandemic, from lockdown regulations, to vaccine rollout, to COVID relief.
“The point is that many aspects of COVID policy have had equity concerns. But those concerns are not reasons not to implement policy at all—they are reasons to implement policy with equity front and center,” said Liao. “One of the abiding things we take away from the pandemic, when it comes to public health, is that our health is not fully in our own hands.”
This health series is made possible by funding from the Washington Department of Health, which has no editorial input or oversight of this content.
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WE ARE MUCKLESHOOT
Chief Seattle, whose mother was from a Duwamish village near present day Kent ancestral to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and whose father was Suquamish.
In 1855, Chief Seattle signed the Treaty of Point Elliott.
In exchange for thousands of acres of land, the Duwamish people left their ancestral villages in the watersheds around Seattle and moved to reservations expressly established for them at Port Madison and the Muckleshoot Prairie, as well as other reservations.
Though it came at terrible cost in hardship and suffering, our ancestors persevered to preserve their heritage, sovereignty and treaty rights.
Today, more than 95 percent of Muckleshoot Tribal members are descendants of the Duwamish people including Chief Seattle, as are many members of the Suquamish, Puyallup, Tulalip and Lummi Tribes.
Together, we continue the sacred endeavor of our ancestors.
But a small group calling itself the Duwamish Tribal Organization is deceptively using the name of our ancestors in an effort to appropriate everything we have fought so hard to preserve.
They continue despite multiple federal court and Interior Department rulings that the group is not a tribe, and not a legal successor to the Duwamish Tribe that signed the Treaty of Point Elliott.
The group, headquartered in a longhouse built on our traditional territory, has even convinced many well-intentioned people in Seattle to call for their recognition.
This kind of uncritical support by individuals with little knowledge of local native history undermines our sovereignty and devalues the tribal identity we have given so much to protect and preserve.
OUR HERITAGE IS NOT ANYONE’S TO TAKE
LEARN THE FACTS AT TheRealDuwamish.org
■SPORTS THE LAYUP DRILL
Olympic Games edition
By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
People gathered near the National Stadium watch the firework display launched during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8. (AP Photo/Kantaro Komiya)
The Tokyo Olympics, christened with “2020'” but held in mid-2021 after being interrupted for a year by the coronavirus, glided to their conclusion in a COVIDemptied stadium on the night of Aug. 8.
A rollicking closing ceremony with the theme “Worlds We Share”— an optimistic but ironic notion at this human moment— featured everything from stunt bikes to intricate light shows as it tried to convey a “celebratory and liberating atmosphere'” for athletes after a tense two weeks.
Among the highlights…
Sunisa “Suni” Lee shines
Sunisa Lee, center, waves from a fire truck with her mom Yeev Thoj, left, and sister Shyenne Lee as fans cheer for her during a parade on Aug. 8 in St. Paul, Minn. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP)
Simone Biles was unable to compete for the United States Gymnastics team as she focused on her mental wellness. Her pulling out of the team competition and then all but one of the individual disciplines cast a blow for the U.S. However, while Biles was sidelined, it allowed for another to shine. Enter teammate Suni Lee. The Hmong American shocked the world by taking the gold medal in the all-around competition and then receiving the silver medal in the vault and bronze in the uneven bars.
The 18-year-old St. Paul, Minnesota native became the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics and the first Hmong American-ever to medal in the Summer Olympics. St. Paul hosted a celebratory parade for Lee on Aug. 8.
Lee is a decorated gymnast that was a part of the 2016 Olympic team and the 2019 World Championship team. However, she never earned an individual medal in Olympic competition, let alone the gold in the all-around.
Lee has gone through some personal tragedies. In August 2019, her father fell out of a tree while helping a friend, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. In 2020, Lee’s aunt and uncle died from COVID-19. Philippines finally wins gold
Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines celebrates as she competes and sets new world record and won the gold medal in the women’s 55kg weightlifting event on July 26. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made history when she won the first gold medal for the Philippines ever. The country sent its first Olympic delegation to Paris for the 1924 games, but never had the opportunity to hear its national anthem played. It all changed when the 30-year-old Diaz, who serves in the Philippine Air Force, narrowly defeated China’s Liao Qiuyun for the top spot.
Diaz won the silver medal in weightlifting in Rio in 2016 (she was the first woman medalist for the Philippines) and many supporters believed that she was the best hope for a gold medal in Tokyo. She has been to 4 Olympics in total, as she first made an appearance at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Diaz started out lifting as a youth using homemade dumbbells. At age 11, she was given a barbell to train with after a local weightlifting competition. She says that she practiced so hard that she wore it out and the bar broke due to overuse. This ingenuity helped her during the pandemic as she had to use makeshift weights with many gyms closed.
Dedicating her time to winning a gold, Diaz focused on training and was unable to see her mother or father for many months.
There is an asterisk to the Philippines gold medal victory as Arianne Cerdena earned a Gold Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in bowling. However, her gold medal did not count as bowling was a demonstration sport. Thus, Diaz’s victory made winning gold official for the Philippines.
Petecio earns silver for the Philippines
The Philippines’s Nesthy Petecio holds up her silver medal after losing to Japan’s Sena Irie in the women’s featherweight 60-kg final boxing match on Aug. 3. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) bring home a boxing medal. The 29-yearold took a silver medal after losing to Sena Ire from Japan.
Arguably, the fight for the gold was tight with many supporters believing that she should have defeated Ire. It was the country’s first boxing medal since 1996 when Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco won silver at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.
After the fight, Petecio dedicated her medal to the LGBTQ community.
The Philippines will earn two more medals in boxing in Tokyo as two other Filipino boxers have made the semifinals of their events.
Adopted Chinese swimmer wins gold for Canada
Maggie MacNeil earned gold for Canada as she won the 100m butterfly in swimming. MacNeil was adopted by Canadian parents after she was abandoned at just a few months old. The London, Ontario native started swimming at the age of 2 and started to compete in the pool at age 8.
MacNeil earned a silver medal in the 4x100 freestyle and a bronze in the 4x100 medley. She earned her gold in the butterfly
Margaret MacNeil, of Canada (right), reacts after winning the final of the women’s 100-meter butterfly as Sarah Sjoestroem, of Sweden, looks on at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 26. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
as she beat the favorite, Zhang Yufei from China. MacNeil’s victory was considered an upset.
MacNeil continues to swim for the University of Michigan, where she broke the NCAA 100 yard butterfly record.
Former Dawg wins bronze, edges British Open winner
C.T. Pan, the former University of Washington golfer, won the bronze medal
see OLYMPIC GAMES on 14
■AT THE MOVIES Dev Patel is so epic in ‘The Green Knight’!
By Stacy Nguyen
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
I usually like to watch movies without knowing much context. I like going into the movie theater pretty ignorant so that I can be delighted by every twist and turn that unfolds, so I can be like, “Oh, that’s what the movie is about?” Unfortunately, “The Green Knight” doesn’t benefit from this practice.
And it’s still a fantastic movie! I still left the theater in awe—but also in slight confusion.
See, to understand “The Green Knight,” you’d have to clearly remember the stuff you read in your college Medieval English literature classes. And if you didn’t take a Medieval English literature class, it is even harder to grasp all of the details in “The Green Knight.” I definitely recommend reading a Wikipedia entry or two before seeing this movie.
“The Green Knight” is a cinematic retelling of a 14th century Middle English poem, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” and covers themes of honor, heroism, and spirituality. “The Green Knight” is directed by an American, David Lowery (whose work is so impressive in “The Green Knight” that I feel compelled to check out all of his other films now), and stars English actor Dev Patel as the eponymous Gawain.
Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and during Christmas, as they are chilling with the other Knights of the Round Table, an uninvited guest called the Green Knight shows up all scary and challenges a brave knight to a ‘game.’ Gawain self-selects because he’s brash and perhaps arrogant. The Green Knight tells him that whatever blow Gawain deals to him, the Green Knight will pay Gawain back with the same blow in exactly one year.
For some reason, instead of a tap on the shoulder, Gawain decides to behead the Green Knight, not realizing this dude is fricking magic, which is nuts because the dude looks like a tree. So the Green Knight comes back to life after the beheading to everyone’s astonishment. And then Gawain spends the rest of the movie in dread and resignation, because he realizes he’s slated to be beheaded in a year’s time. And of course, he has to go through with it because this is like, Arthurian times and they are serious about honor and didn’t yet adopt ‘just kidding!’ as a cultural practice.
See, this is the stuff I wish I had known going into the movie. The movie is told so subtly and beautifully—and everyone is speaking in an English accent of some sort—that it was kind of
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■PUBLISHER’S BLOG Exploring the U.S.A. during the pandemic Horseshoe Lake at Denali National Park. (Credit: Leo Yeung)
The oldest Chinese restaurant in the U.S., in Butte, Montana.
Jackie (daughter-in-law), Lawson, Allison and Edison, James Wong’s children, swim in Hawaii.
Jerry Tam of Montana’s Pekin Noodle and Harry Chan of Tai Tung at Pekin
By Assunta Ng
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The nation’s older Chinese restaurant vs. Seattle’s Tai Tung
Recently, Harry Chan, owner of Tai Tung Restaurant with 86 years of history, attended his grandson’s graduation ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his family drove over 2,000 miles for the event.
But what made his trip more special was he met a fellow restaurateur, who owns the oldest Chinese restaurant in the U.S.—Pekin Noodle Parlor in Montana. It is 110 years old. Curiosity was the reason Chan wanted to meet the Pekin owner on his way back to Seattle. Both have carried the fame as the oldest Chinese restaurants in their respective cities. Do they have anything in common?
“I heard about Pekin on CBS News,” Chan said. His son-in-law called for reservations before they arrived. “No need to make reservations,” a Pekin staff member told them. “Just come before 8 p.m.” That’s the similarity right there. You don’t need to make reservations at Tai Tung. You just walk right in. Since the pandemic, Tai Tung also closes at 8 p.m.
A small town of 30,000 with its own charm, Butte was once a bustling mining town. Pekin’s owner, Jerry Tam, was born into the restaurant business. Tam returned from New York to help his father, Danny Wong (who had changed his last name from Tam to his aunt’s last name Wong, a more recognizable Chinese last name). That’s another similarity right there. Harry’s brother, Tommy Quan, has a different last name, too. In addition to being the oldest restaurants, both have served celebrities and politicians.
A tour of Pekin, including the kitchen, showed the Chan family the contrast.
Hello Kitty Cafe Truck (Photo by George Liu)
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas (Photo by George Liu)
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■LETTER TO EDITOR
New shelter concerns
The City of Seattle, in partnership with the Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT), will open a new 125room, 24/7 “enhanced shelter” at the former Keiro nursing home site.
The City will be opening new 24/7 shelter options throughout the City, according to The Seattle Medium.
In addition, King County and the City of Seattle are investing $15 million to continue the JustCARE program in Pioneer Square and Chinatown-International District (CID), with particular focus on City Hall Park.
We can see and understand that the City must be under enormous pressure to get unhoused, high-risk folks off the sidewalks and public parks. We know that City Hall Park has been the scene of overdoses, attacks, and the potential source of a sex offender who recently attacked a female employee in the restroom of the Courthouse. Amazingly, he was not booked or held after arrest, but that is another story.
There are troubling questions that arise out of these projects, specifically the 24/7 “enhanced shelter” for the Keiro site.
How much is the CID expected to absorb out of this current and future expansion of 24/7 shelter options? Are other parts of the City being designated so that the CID is not disproportionately burdened?
Where is Africatown, our new neighbor in the designated 24/7 “enhanced shelter” proposed for the Keiro site? I belong to a community group—Wisteria Community Association—and to my knowledge, ACLT has never approached us nor other community associations by holding any kind of public meeting to introduce themselves, get to know us, or to introduce their use of Keiro. This lack of communication is very troubling.
“This project will serve single adults and will be the first shelter project operated by Africatown. The program will be a 24/7, enhanced shelter that will offer culturally responsive services, case management, housing navigation services, and behavioral health support. The shelter is expected to open October 2021,” according to The Seattle Medium.
What experience—this is Africatown’s first shelter project—does the ACLT have in shelter management?
Given the Keiro site’s proximity to Bailey-Gatzert Elementary School (a drug-free zone), will the “enhanced shelter” admit folks with ongoing substance addiction/ use? I speak up as well for the users of Pratt Park—also a drug free zone—where previous injection drug use has been occurring.
Given the Keiro site’s proximity to senior housing— Kawabe Memorial House, Wisteria Terrace, and Midori Condominiums—what measures and precautions will the ACLT take to ensure their 24/7 non-congregate “enhanced shelter” does not contribute to community transmission of COVID-19, particularly in light of a new, highly infectious Delta variant?
Will the “enhanced shelter” screen for sex offenders? We have all heard of the recent sexual assault on a female employee at the King County Courthouse. The alleged offender was associated with the City Hall Park tent encampment.
The DESC Navigation Center on 12th and Weller, which the CID questioned before it was located here, has not fared well—raising the question of why the City thinks the CID is their go-to for all their failed social experiments. The mess at 12th and Jackson— trafficking in stolen merchandise, violence, and drug sales, to mention a few issues—is directly related to the Navigation Center.
Further, the City knew that permanent stable housing was not available at the time of the location of the Navigation Center, I heard a City Councilmember admit as much. So are the folks in these “enhanced shelters” in limbo, semi-permanent residents of a shelter? The Navigation Center looks terrible and has been plagued with tents on the grounds. The City’s track record with enhanced shelters is not good. Ongoing accountability and results are questionable. “Enhanced shelter” is a comical euphemism if I ever heard one.
The folks being moved out of City Hall Park and many, undoubtedly off Third Avenue near the Courthouse into enhanced shelters, are high-risk folks. I do not condemn nor judge them.
I question why the City and Africatown think that their proposed 24/7 “enhanced shelter” (it’s a done deal) for the Keiro site is a good fit in a dense urban neighborhood, with populations that are also at high-risk and therefore vulnerable.
I question the City’s pattern of making the CID its de facto repository for high-risk populations.
One other thing: if ACRS wants to be so helpful, why not address the horrible problem of graffiti and trash buildup in the CID?
Given the lack of communication on both the City’s and Africatown’s part, the City’s track record of failed social experiments, as well as its penchant for making the city’s only living immigrant community the de facto repository for high-risk populations, one might well wonder who in their mind is “vulnerable.”
Sincerely,
— Patty Fong
THE GREEN KNIGHT from 9
hard to pick up the different nuances of what was going on. Like, Gawain has some mommy issues that took me so long to figure out, simply because I didn’t know who his mom is (from the Arthurian legends).
Okay, we need to talk about Dev Patel and how much of a glow up he’s undergone over the past few years—since his “Slumdog Millionaire” days. Dude, he’s so hot now. He smolders! He has such luscious hair! He looks super kingly and does an incredible job in this film. As engrossing as the film was for me, sometimes I got mentally pulled out of it because I had fleeting thoughts like, “Dude, Dev Patel looks so handsome! WTF!”
This bit of casting is very interesting. More and more nowadays, I think filmmakers have been casting more people of color in roles that are not originally meant for people of color, and rather than change the story to include an explanation of like, why a super good-looking man of Indian ethnicity is playing a character who was undoubtedly super duper white, Lowery just treated it as normal, in-universe, and continued going about and telling his story.
I used to be a bit more bothered when API characters were just injected into a story without proper character-building ‘cause it’s like, hey, casting APIs isn’t enough. Obviously there’s no API writer on staff writing these characters, and that’s troubling.
But in this case, the sense of it is different. It feels different when the character is a freaking English legend— Gawain. So casting a legend with a non-white actor and then going on as if it’s business-asusual is a real boss move.
Also, when people of color are cast in significant roles, what ends up happening is the people around them who are related to them in the story also end up being embodied by non-white actors. Like Gawain’s mom. She is played by—yes, you’ve seen her before, she’s everywhere!—Sarita Choudhury. It was cool to see (more than) two people of color prominently in a movie that’s based on an Arthurian legend. Like, wow!
I give this movie four stars! Though as someone who has a hard time watching stuff without cars exploding, I have to tell you that zero cars explode in this movie. So if you’re a person that needs that, this might not be for you. This movie is also a thinker—it has many notes of ambiguity and it lingers after you leave the theater. I know ambiguity sometimes drives certain movie-goers bananas.
Lastly, the mood—the cinematography, the set design, the costuming, the score—is just beyond. It is such a gorgeous and gritty-dirty (in a good way) version of a kind of story that is often told with a lot more glamour. “The Green Knight” is simultaneously lush and stripped down. It’s just beautiful.
“The Green Knight” was widely released and is playing at a theater near you.
If you are not comfortable going to a theater just yet, it is streaming online for one night only, next Wednesday, Aug. 18, starting at 6 p.m. our time. Tickets can be purchased for $20 at the A24 Screening Room website.
Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.
Chan’s whole kitchen crew is Chinese, whereas Pekin has three Caucasian helpers and one Chinese chef, said Chan.
Tam even showed an old room his father used to live in as a young man, with lots of old stuff. Pekin donated much of that old stuff to a New York Museum featuring the food industry.
Both restaurants are known as “chop suey” eateries, a term for Americanized Chinese food. However, Chan noted that his restaurant has been remodeled a few times, including a major renovation seven years ago, and several menu items have evolved over the years. For Pekin, which started in 1911, it has stayed true to its chop suey taste, including egg foo young and chow mein, serving typical Americans for over a century.
“It’s the old atmosphere,” said Chan.
Pekin’s owner treated the Chan family of four to dinner and drinks, even though they were meeting for the first time. The generosity of two restaurants is also alike. Tai Tung has supported many community causes, and often treats their long-time customers and friends. In remarkable ways, both Pekin and Tai Tung are unique family businesses and pillars of the economy, simultaneously reflecting the triumph of Asian immigrants achieving the American Dream.
Alaska is great for a family trip
Leo Yeung went on a family trip to Alaska in July. The family of eight flew from California to Anchorage, then drove around to see Denali National Park. The family also took a cruise to see SewardKenai Fjords National Park. When asked about the best part of his trip, Yeung said, “Being with my three grandchildren.”
But the little grandkids said seeing the animals was the fun part. They saw sea lions, moose, foxes, whales, birds, bears, and many more.
Las Vegas isn’t just for gamblers
IL Bellagio Italian Restaurant’s cuisine
“Do you gamble?” my friend asked when she learned that I was in Las Vegas last May.
The notion that Vegas is only for gamblers is false. Both my husband and I don’t gamble, we don’t even play the slot machines. I find no joy or fun in throwing money away.
Some argue if you are lucky, you can win some money. The taxi driver we met in Vegas during our trip, a gambler, confessed that he has paid the piper off and on.
Winning through gambling doesn’t exist in my world. I am not saying I have been unlucky. In fact, I consider myself and my family pretty fortunate this year, during the pandemic. My luck has always been earned through relentless hard work and the ability to see possibilities.
So why Vegas?
Covid has created challenges for us seniors to travel. We don’t want to go out of the country. Traveling far is risky. Our days of being bold adventurers belong in the past. We didn’t have much time to do research or plan an exotic trip so choosing a familiar place would minimize Covid risk. We have been working so hard during these unprecedented times, we needed a break, to get out of our apartment, and do something new for a few days. An essential criteria for the destination is great food.
Vegas seemed to be the obvious choice. We flew to Vegas the week before Memorial Day weekend. We thought the weather would be hot. Surprisingly, it was chilly and windy during our stay. There were crowds, but getting around was manageable. Most people were unmasked, as President Biden said then, “If you are vaccinated, you don’t need to wear masks.” There were a few shows as the Strip began to open up. We saw one variety show, limited to about 130 people out of a seating capacity of over 800. It’s not the best show I’ve seen. But I like to support artists who were unemployed during the pandemic.
How did the city manage to keep the homeless away from the Strip? I did see a few hanging around in the old town (downtown). Yet, they were not aggressive panhandlers.
Vegas is full of happy faces. It is not just the gambling capital of our country, but a recreational town for families and kids. It was enjoyable to see kids at M&M’s World and lining up at the Hello Kitty Cafe food truck for its sweet treats. The food truck is a smart idea, requiring much less operational expense and investment. I was glad to see an Asian franchise owner who planned to add one more truck soon. Vegas also built a new and amazing football stadium, revealing its wealth and vision.
The last time I visited Vegas was about eight years ago to watch Celine Dion perform. Vegas has earned its name as a food paradise with lower prices. The prices have increased quite a bit as it had suffered months of lockdown and high labor costs. We loved every meal, from French to Italian, Chinese to Japanese, they were all superb and creative. However, if you are looking for Vegas’ fabulous buffets, they are gone due to Covid.
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS
Sealed bids will be received for KC000266, Harbor Island Dock Demolition; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via the E-Procurement system, until 1:30 pm on August 26, 2021. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted on-line following the Bid Close Date and Time; see Section 00 10 00 for details.
There is a 15% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.
There is a 20% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.
Brief Scope: The King County Solid Waste Division (KCSWD) is proposing to demolish a derelict, creosotetreated timber dock located along the western shoreline of Harbor Island, at the mouth of the Duwamish River. The dock is is approximately 72,700 square feet.
Estimated contract price: $4,350,636
Mandatory Pre-Bid(s)/Site Tour(s): 08/18/21 at 9am and 10am.
Prospective bidders can view more details at: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/solicitations
Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://kingcounty.gov/ procurement/supplierportal
A watershed moment in Hawaii
James Wong, Vibrant Cities CEO, and his family immigrated to Hawaii when he was 9 years old. Last January, he took his three American-born kids to Hawaii for the holidays.
Wong showed his kids the apartment building where he used to live when his family first set foot in America. It was a small studio designed for one or two people.
Now, Wong is able to afford to travel to Hawaii on vacation, and stay in a luxurious hotel where his father once worked as a restaurant worker. He wanted his kids to know what he, their grandparents, and great grandparents went through to be able to let them stay in hotels. Although his kids’ childhoods were much better than his, Wong shared on Facebook that he wanted his kids to “stay humble, kind, generous, eager to learn…and love…their fellow human beings.”
Other U.S. adventures
New York City
Lelian Solip: Despite the attacks on Asians we heard about in the news recently, I felt pretty safe [in New York’s Chinatown]. We took the subways everywhere, including taking the trains from Newark Airport to Penn Station and to JFK Airport. Thanks to the NYPD who were visibly present in the streets and many subway stations.
Napa, California
Henna Makol: I’ve been wanting to go to Napa for as long as I can remember. It was a spontaneous trip that I’m glad I made! Had such a great time visiting the Castello di Amorosa, Korbel, and Kendall Jackson wineries. Flying into Santa Rosa via Horizon Air from Seattle was such a breeze.
Michigan
Ruth Bayang: We took a ferry from Mackinaw City (a four-hour drive from Detroit) to Mackinac Island. Spent a day there enjoying the sights and sampling fudge, and rented a tandem bike to explore the island, where only horses and non-motorized vehicles are allowed.
The next day, we drove over the Mackinac bridge to see part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Almost as beautiful as Washington state!
Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
