The Advocate - Issue 11 - May 14, 2021

Volume 55, Issue 11 May 14, 2021 advocate-online.net

FOR THE STUDENTS BY THE STUDENTS

Gun control proposals and concerns PAGE 4

New Vietnamese coffee shop opens PAGE 2

THE SAINTS PLAY HARD DURING SPRING SPORTS PAGE 3

4

Graphic designer dishes PAGE 3

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

2019 FIRST PLACE

General Excellence

Pacific Northwest Assoc. of Journalism Educators

NEWS

A D V O C AT E-O N L I N E.N E T

NEW COFFEE SHOP REPRESENTS VIETNAMESE EXCELLENCE Brad Le

The Advocate Talk about a caffeine rush: Vietnam’s coffee culture is heavily associated (and sometimes only associated) with the cà phê đá, or Vietnamese iced coffee, a bit ironic given that Vietnam is second to Brazil in coffee bean production.

Kim Dam is the owner of the newly opened Portland Cà Phê on Southeast Holgate, translating to “Portland Coffee” in Vietnamese.

The MHCC graduate has expressed wanting to change the image of Vietnamese coffee for the public and those who are not accustomed to non-western coffee in America, in general.

Portland Cà Phê had a soft opening on April 16-19 that was reserved for family and friends of the owner and employees at the coffee shop,. The initial consensus regarding the coffee was positive and the customers were plentiful, by pandemic standards.

Encouraged by the positive reception, Dam had Portland Cà Phê’s grand opening on April 23 where the crowd was even larger – quite literally out the door – and the reception even more ecstatic. In fact, the line was nonstop for at least two hours on opening day. Dam’s parents moved to the U.S. in 1982.

They have opened and operated the Vietnamese sandwich shop, The House of Banh Mi. Dam worked for her family’s banh mi while also pursuing her interest in coffee

work, her experience including an apprenticeship with Mark Wilcox of Mutt’s Coffee (who left a positive online review of the coffee shop).

In addition to selling Vietnamese coffee, Portland Cà Phê also cites inspiration from many other Asian countries, such as featuring their popular ube, a Filipino purple yam.

But its core is still centered on the Vietnamese palate. The source of its coffee beans is the Vietnam central highlands, and the coffee shop sells banh mi, for which the meat and spreads are prepared by Dam’s mother at The House of Banh Mi, while the sandwich itself is finished at the shop.

Inside Portland Cà Phê there is also a painting of Vietnam by Portland artist Alex Chiu that is immediately noticeable to the left of the entrance. It features many major locations in Vietnam’s three regions, such as Hanoi in the North, Da Nang in the Central region and Ho Chi Minh City in the South.

Interestingly, the painting is also in a bright yellow, which may be an intriguing nod to an obscure Vietnamese figure known mostly in North Vietnam: Lady Triệu or Bà Triệu. Lady Triệu was the Vietnamese equivalent to the Chinese figure of Mulan or France’s Joan of Arc, in that she was considered a heroine, who fought to free her country from the rule of Emperor Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty. She is commonly depicted in Vietnamese art wearing a golden yellow robe.

Photo Credit: Brad Le Photo Credit: Brad Le

Regardless of the possible coincidence, Dam’s larger goal, per her website, is to promote the image and prestige of Vietnamese coffee.

Portland Cà Phê has had high foot traffic following its opening and her goal appears to be progressing.

Portland Cà Phê is open daily 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2815 SE Holgate Blvd. in Southeast Portland’s CrestonKenilworth neighborhood.

Photo Credit: Brad Le

OPEN DAILY 8 A.M. TO 3 P.M. AT 2815 SE HOLGATE BLVD. IN SOUTHEAST PORTLAND’S CRESTON- KENILWORTH NEIGHBORHOOD

for the students by the students Co Editors-in-Chief Daniella Young Brad Le News Editor Brad Le Opinion Editor Omar Carrillo Assistant News Editor Marin Thorsen

PA G E 2

Assistant Opinion Editor Brianne Burgess

Broadcast Producer Naethaniel Lile

Graphic Design Editors Hannah Hart Mariah Johnson Mae Cossu

Broadcast A.D. [Position Open]

Copy Editor Chris Barney Web Editor Daniella Young

Broadcast Hosts [Positions Open] Photo Team [Positions Open]

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Ad Manager [Position Open]

Social Media Manager [Position Open]

Staff Writers Ash Espinoza Marin Thorsen Omar Carrillo Brianne Burgess

Distribution Specialist [Position Open]

@mhccadvocate

Advisers Dan Ernst Howard Buck

@theadvocateonline @mhccadvocate

SPORTS

MAY 14, 2021

WHERE THE SAINTS CURRENTLY STAND AS SPRING SPORTS CONTINUE Daniella Young The Advocate

Through games played May 7, the Saints Baseball team is second in the South Division of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) with a record of 12-6.

In the April 11 game against the Chemeketa Storm, Jacob Biesterfield threw a nohitter for Mt. Hood. He struck out 10 and walked only two, in a seven-inning, 10-0 Saints win at home.

“He is a well-rounded pitcher. He certainly has above average velocity for the JC (junior college) level, but also has some secondary pitches that make him that much more effective,” said Saints Head Coach Bryan Donohue.

Biesterfield had played at University of Portland for two years, in 2019 and an abbreviated 2020 season.

He regained eligibility for the current season due to COVID-19 rule adjustments.

Donohue said the nohitter (the ninth in Mt. Hood history, since 1968) made for a special day at the ballpark.

“I was a part of a perfect game as a player at Mt. Hood and this is the second nohitter I’ve been a part of as a coach, the last one coming in 2013,” Donohue said. “It’s fun when you start to get really close... everyone is aware of it for the most part, but no one says anything about it. Every out becomes a pretty fun thing to get.

“They (no-hitters) are never easy, there are always some tense moments along the way. When it finally happens, it is pretty special for everyone on the team. It’s a moment that never gets forgotten.”

The Mt. Hood team is hitting well, led by sophomore catcher Ezra Samperi, who through May 7 was batting .397 and had 12 runs batted in.

“This is a very talented, deep team,” Donohue said of his squad. “I believe our biggest strengths are our depth on the pitching staff and our ability to score runs in bunches.

We have a very capable lineup of hitters that can not only

have big days at the plate, but also can do a lot of things to produce runs on the basepaths,” he said.

Donohue said the Saints have been able to continue to play home games, despite COVID safety restrictions. And some have been able to watch the Oslund Field action.

“No fans allowed, of course, but people have been parking above the first-base side and sitting in lawn chairs

to view the games,” he said.

April turned out to be an eventful month for Donohue: He and his wife, Karalyn, celebrated the birth of their first child, Everett William, a 9-pound, 3-ounce boy.

OTHER SPRING ACTION In softball action, the Saints are currently fourth in the South Division of NWAC, with a record of 6-10 after taking two games against Chemeketa on Friday, May 7.

The team is completely comprised of freshman players this season. The top four hitters include Maya Phillips (13 hits, 11 runs scored on the season), Janelle Almaguer (14 hits, 13 runs), Alexia Geary (14 hits, 9 runs), and Abigail Padilla (13 hits, 14 runs).

The Saints men’s basketball team stands in fifth place in the South Division. Leading scorers are sophomore guards Jahville Collins, averaging 22 points a game, and Sam Muller, at 15 points per game.

The women’s basketball team is only 0-3 on the year, good for sixth in the South Division, due to several Web Photo. postponed games. Freshman forward Paige Collins leads the team with 13.3 points per game. There are six more games scheduled (as of May 7).

Both men’s and women’s basketball teams have been unable to play home games, due to water damage to the Yoshida Events Center floor suffered in February.

GET TO KNOW THE ADVOCATE

Cover by: Mariah Johnson On the cover: Baseball Player Graphic.

Contact us!

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Website: advocate-online.net Mt. Hood Community College Room 1369 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham OR 97030

The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission.

Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board. The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length. Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print. Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

Hannah Hart Graphic Designer Hannah always got in trouble in school for doodling, ’cause why just listen to a lecture when you can also draw it out? She was actually going to school to become a veterinary technician before coming to MHCC... (but) realized she could become a graphic artist. This is her first year at Mount Hood and so far, the best year of her college career: It’s like the adult version of arts and crafts, but with higher stakes. The best piece of advice she can give to any fellow creative is, don’t believe someone who says that you can’t make it in the creative world!

PA G E 3

OPINION | COLUMN

A D V O C AT E-O N L I N E.N E T

NEW GUN CONTROL PROPOSALS RAISE QUESTIONS Chris Barney The Advocate

Lately in the news there have been many reports about deadly events involving the use of guns. As a result, people are, not surprisingly, calling for more gun control.

This view, in and of itself, is a huge fallacy. I am baffled by the fact that the people who want to see gun control cannot seem to understand that guns don’t have brains, they aren’t sentient. Guns are a tool, and as such they require an operator, just like any other tool. I have never seen a gun take aim and discharge all by itself without any outside influence and, unless some mad scientist invents a sentient gun, nobody ever will see that.

Another point of concern for many is that lately shooting events are too racially charged.

People are too busy looking at the race and occupation of the people involved.

The circumstances surrounding the event are an important factor, as well.

To tell the truth, unless a person shoots someone because of that person’s skin color, race has nothing to do with it. As an example, there was a recent event where a police officer shot a person of color (Ma’Khia Bryant, in Columbus, Ohio) who was going to stab another person of color. The fact that two people involved in this event were persons of color or that the officer was white has nothing to do with it. If the case is examined in the way it ought to be, it will be plain to see that the officer acted based on the events that were unfolding. He would have done the same exact thing if the other two people were any other race, too. And yet because of incidents such as this one, people want more gun control.

Unfortunately, President Biden has responded. What follows will be my opinion on the government’s gun control plans as presented on the White House website.

The first item in the proposed White House list is that the administration plans to “stop the proliferation of ghost guns.” A ghost gun is a gun that is built privately, not registered and therefore not known to the government.

PA G E 4

Personally, I believe an action (crackdown) like this is just another attempt by the government to control the people of this nation, which is precisely the reason why people create and own these guns. If the government would stop trying to increase their control over the people, there would not be a need for such things. Unfortunately, the government at present has some looneys in the fold – more on that, below – and they are the ones that these owners are leery of. Literally the only reason the government wants to do this specific thing is because “unknown” guns create a hiccup in their ability to take guns away.

Second on the list is legislation to ban an attachment that has been referred to as an arm brace. The people pushing for these laws don’t like these braces because

they help improve the accuracy of the gun user. The government would say this makes it “more deadly,” but in reality, anyone who shoots guns will strive to improve accuracy. When a person shoots a gun, they don’t just

hold it up and pull the trigger, they take aim at something prior to pulling the trigger. No one in their right mind is going to grab a gun and pull the trigger, merely hoping that the bullet will go where they want it to go. Overall, the true purpose of this new ban is to make it harder to hit targets, which would also weaken the ability of the people to fight back should the government take an action they aren’t very fond of.

Another point of concern I and others have is Biden’s decision to appoint David Chipman as the director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The fact that this man, outspoken in wanting to ban assault rifles and other weapons, was selected by Biden is proof enough that no good will come from this. It would not make sense for Biden to choose someone who believes in the Constitution and knows how to handle the law, in regard to firearms.

Overall, these kinds of laws simply work to increase the government’s control over us. This is precisely the reason why a lot of people have guns.

Yes, shootings happen, but a lot of people who own guns do so responsibly.

Many people own guns because they fear what the government can do.

They aren’t wrong, either.

People freak out about guns, just because some people use them for bad reasons. This reaction is a tragedy and a horrible judgment regarding guns.

The fact that some people use guns for evil does not automatically mean that Web Graphic. anyone who owns a gun is evil. An apple tree is not cut down just because it had one bad apple.

“PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE AN ACTION (CRACKDOWN) LIKE THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTROL THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION, WHICH IS PRECISELY THE REASON WHY PEOPLE CREATE AND OWN THESE GUNS.”