(left to right) Everett Kendo and Iaido Club sensei Tom Bolling, Bert Tsutakawa, Aniceto Seto, Hiroako Fukumoto, Iraj Mohebalian, Tamara McCollum, Marcus Phung, Lynn Miyauchi, Gunna Goerlitz, David Cooper, Musokai sensei Pat Murosako, Dean Yamada, Suzie Kozawa, David Lau, Emily Morgan, Brian Blumquist, Mark Uchida (Photo by Aram Kailian)

The Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation hosted this year’s annual Iaido Nationals as part of its AUSKF Iaido Summer Camp from June 21 to June 24 at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. Read the full story

Front row (left to right): Fred Wong, Oregon CCBA boardmember; Stephen Ying, Oregon CCBA president; Rebecca Liu; Candise Nokes; Helen Ying. Back row (left to right) CCBA boardmembers Tim Wan and Marcus Lee, Greg Nokes, author of Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon. (Photo by Deston Nokes)

A group of about 135 supporters, including representatives of Chinese American communities in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles and members of the Chinese Massacre Read the full story

From left: Alaric Bien, I-Jen Chen, and Dennis Su

Aegis Living announced the creation of a new advisory board to guide the company on its proposed development of an Asian culture senior living community, the Aegis Gardens of Newcastle. Boardmembers include local leaders Alaric Bien, Dennis Su, Fred Crosetto, LoYu Sun, Mike Jiang, Shiao-Yen Wu, Walter Liang, YP Chan, and Dr. I-Jen Chen. Read the full story

Recognized UW alumnis (left to right): clothing designer Luly Yang, Seattle Councilmember Bruce Harrell, and Northwest Asian Weekly publisher Assunta Ng (Photo by George Liu)

As part of its 150th anniversary, the University of Washington alumni publication, Columns Magazine, recognized 100 alumni, including 12 former Communication majors. The list includes Dolores Sibonga, Christine Gregoire, Eric Nalder, Gerald Baldasty, Luly Yang, Bruce Harrell, Dow Constantine, Tim Egan, David Horsey, Bobbe Bridge, Nate Miles, and more. (end)

The Associated Press Staff

BEIJING (AP) — Six suspects arrested in a foiled plane hijack in the far-western Xinjiang region are all Uighur men, Chinese state media reported, adding to ethnic tension in the region days ahead of the third anniversary of deadly riots. Read the full story

By Steve Kadel
The Associated Press viA Times-News

Front entrace of Minidoka relocation camp (Photo from preservationnation.com)

EDEN, Idaho (AP) — Monica Chin looked across the high desert land that used to be the Minidoka Relocation Center and shook her head. Read the full story

By Samantha Henry
The Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Dock workers rushed to unload stacked containers from a cargo ship that arrived in New Jersey from the Middle East on Wednesday after a Coast Guard inspection team heard knocking for about two hours that suggested stowaways might be inside one of the boxes. Read the full story

By Kelvin Chan
The Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — A pro-democracy heckler interrupted a speech by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the swearing-in of Hong Kong’s new leader Sunday. Tens of thousands of residents marched to protest Chinese rule on the 15th anniversary of the Asian financial hub’s return to Beijing’s control. Read the full story

The Associated Press Staff

Photo from azclimate.asu.edu/mbdi

KOHYON-RI, North Korea (AP) — North Korea dispatched soldiers to pour buckets of water on parched fields and South Korean officials scrambled to save a rare mollusk threatened by the heat as the worst dry spell in a century gripped the Korean Peninsula. Read the full story

By Sylvia Hui
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — He says he was one of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s favorite propaganda artists, singing the praises of the Dear Leader in dozens of poems. But these days, Jang Jin-sung says he prefers to tell the truth about North Korea. Read the full story

By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly

The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya
By Nagaru Tanigawa
Little, Brown and Company, 2012

For the first time since Kyon met her, Haruhi Suzumiya seems content with her life. She’s not forcing the SOS Brigade (Save the World By Overloading It With Fun Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade) to participate in any dangerous or potentially criminal activities or taking on impossible-seeming projects. Read the full story

Last month, ANA Airlines celebrated the launch of its new route from Seattle to Tokyo (Narita), debuting the flight menu and inviting guests to experience the plane’s modern interior and spacious seats.

The new route will be its first direct flight from Seattle to Japan, and will include same day connecting flights to other Asian cities. ANA’s direct flight service will begin on July 25 with operations beginning on the Boeing 777 and transitioning to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner when available.

The launch party included a kagami-biraki (breaking open a sake barrel) ceremony for blessings and celebration.  Attendees also participated in a raffle for a pair of business class and coach tickets.(end)

Photos by George Liu/NWAW

Alice Currah (Photo from Alice Currah)

By Tiffany Ran
Northwest Asian Weekly

Last week, I went on a picnic — a “summer picnic” to be specific — and it rained. Weather aside, the food was great, but I was certain that our calling it a summer picnic caused the weather to get testy.

So, it hasn’t been all sunshine these past few days, but lucky for us, we live in a place where food can be enjoyed anywhere.

For starters, novices and experienced cooks alike can go to the bookstore, where they’ll find Alice Currah’s new cookbook, “Savory Sweet Life.” Currah started out as a food blogger who became known for her step-by-step photographs, turning many timid cooks to domestic gods and goddesses. Like her blog, Currah’s cookbook has the how-to photos we know and love, but also more. The beautifully photographed cookbook gives us an intimate look behind her life as a mother and wife, celebrating Father’s Day with her family, and dare I say it, summer fun in the sun, as one chapter is called. Read the full story

“One Hundred Years’ History of the Chinese in America” by James Leong (Photo from chsa.org)

A reproduction of the late James Leong’s mural, “One Hundred Years’ History of the Chinese in America,” will be featured prominently on a decorative building wrap covering San Francisco Chinatown’s subway station on July 14. That’s the good news. Read the full story

It’s exhausting to organize a gubernatorial debate between Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna and Democratic Congressman Jay Inslee. Why? Read the full story

Sen. Steve Hobbs

When Sen. Hobbs first announced his candidacy for the Congress, the Asian community gave him a cold shoulder. One reason is that there were as many as seven candidates fighting for the seat initially. Read the full story