From left: Yoshi Minegishi, Naomi Minegishi, SYSO Music Director Stephen Radcliffe, Charlie Staadecker, Benita Staadecker, Cellist Joshua Roman, and SYSO Executive Director Daniel Peterson (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra raised $67,000 at their Spectacularly SYSO Gala on June 8. The event, which included a performance and silent auction, was hosted at the Museum of History and Industry and was attended by approximately 150 people. Yoshi Minegishi, Celebrate Asia committee member, donated $10,000. (end)

Shari Song

Shari Song, a real estate broker and current candidate for King County Council, held her campaign kickoff on May 21 at the Renton Community Center. She is running for Position 9, currently held by former Republican candidate for Attorney General Reagan Dunn. Read the full story

Maria Bea Querido

Maria Bea Querido, a current Leadership Discovery participant with the Executive Development Institute (EDI), has been selected for the 2013 Filipino American Youth Leadership Program. She is one of 10 participants chosen from the United States and Guam. Read the full story

Sen. Maria Cantwell (front right) presented the Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award to LIHI, represented by Pearl Leung (front left). (Photo from LIHI)

Sen. Maria Cantwell presented the Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award to the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) for the performance of Ernestine Anderson Place on May 22 in Washington, D.C. Pearl Leung, who serves on the LIHI Board of Directors, accepted the award. Read the full story

Holly Woo (right) receiving the award.

Holly Woo received a Living Our Legacy Award on behalf of Bill Sellars, a long-time supporter of The Arc of King County. Read the full story

By Staff
The Associated Press

BOSTON, Mass. (AP) — Federal transportation regulators ordered a discount bus service between Boston and New York to shut down June 6, saying its vehicles and drivers were a threat to public safety and that it once dispatched a bus with a large hole in the bottom. Read the full story

By Julie Pace
AP White House Correspondent

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — It may not have been Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev’s Cold War walk by a frozen lake in Switzerland. Read the full story

By Sun Lee Chang
Northwest Asian Weekly

	Rat — Are you speaking volumes without making a sound? Your physical reaction could be showing how you really feel about the situation.
	Ox — The manner in which you deliver a message that is important to you will have a big impact on how well it is received.
	Tiger — To ensure a good match, make your choice based on a wide variety of factors and don’t pick before you are ready.
	Rabbit — Does it seem like you are going nowhere fast? The current pace will likely continue unless you make a drastic change.
	Dragon — Resist the urge to let down your guard this week. There are still some hazards on the road that you should watch for.
	Snake — There is no excuse for not paying attention to good advice. Whether you follow it is another matter entirely.
	Horse — Are you having a hard time discerning fact from fiction? Listen closely, for one side will ring truer than the other.
	Goat — Personalize a dull area at work or home with something special, perhaps a picture of family or a little vase of flowers.
	Monkey — Are you tired of not being noticed? You deserve the spotlight for all that you have done, so don’t be afraid to toot your own horn once in a while.
	Rooster — A delicate balance needs to be treated gingerly in order to be maintained. There may come a time when you tire of this arrangement.
	Dog — Has the spark dimmed a little since you first lit it? There is much you can do to fan the flames, if that is your inclination.
	Pig — Does something smell slightly amiss in your estimation? Trust your senses; it probably stinks for a reason.

What’s your animal sign?
Rat 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 Ox 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 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 Goat 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 Dog 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

*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.

By Staff
New America Media

Two schools in San Francisco will be scaling back courses and other programs for newly arrived Chinese immigrants starting next year, reports the Sing Tao Daily. While the decision has caused alarm among parents and teachers, district officials say it will ultimately benefit students struggling with the English language. Read the full story

By Sopheng Cheang
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s National Assembly approved a bill on June 7 making it a crime to deny that atrocities were committed by the country’s genocidal 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, a law that critics allege will be used as a weapon against the political opposition. Read the full story

By Julie Watson
The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) — Japanese troops will converge on California’s southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country’s amphibious attack abilities. Read the full story

By Staff
The Associated Press

Charice Pempengco

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Charice Pempengco, a Filipino singer who played an exchange student in “Glee,” says she’s a lesbian and has apologized to her family in an emotional TV interview.

The 21-year-old said on a talk show June 9 on ABS-CBN TV that she wants to apologize to those who do not understand and cannot accept her. She mentioned her mother and brother. Read the full story

By Andrew Hamlin
Northwest Asian Weekly

The two people on the beach at the beginning of “Wish You Were Here” are white and attractive, though iridescently so. They look healthy enough — normal enough.  They’re wistful, though a little tired. The sand gleams underneath them. They ask themselves where they would go if they could go anywhere and stay there forever.  The man thinks he’d be happiest forever right where he is.  The woman thinks that’s slightly odd. Read the full story

Wayne Chan

By Wayne Chan
Northwest Asian Weekly

This September will mark my 22nd wedding anniversary, and the only thing I keep asking myself is “how the heck did that happen?” Read the full story

By Monica Luhar
India-West Staff Reporter

Characters Hector (left), Sanjay (center), Craig (center), and Megan (right).

He’s got plenty of tween energy, even after he gorges down on spicy chicken wings at the local Read the full story

By Andrew Lam
New America Media

Sifu Lam Chun-fai today (Photo from Lam Chun Fai School)

Lam Chun-fai, a master of Southern Chinese kung fu style, Hung Kuen, is the first of the kung fu Read the full story