Alan Sugiyama

The Executive Development Institute (EDI) announced that its board selected Alan Sugiyama as EDI’s new executive director on Monday, Nov. 5. EDI is the only Pacific Northwest nonprofit organization that focuses on leadership training for multi-ethnic professionals. Sugiyama will start as executive director on Jan. 2, 2013. EDI’s current executive director, Starr Macdonald, announced her retirement after serving 10 years.

“Leaders aren’t born, they are developed, and EDI is the perfect agency to do that,” Sugiyama said.  “It’s like a dream come true to be able to help develop our community’s future leaders.”

Sugiyama was introduced at EDI’s 19th gala dinner, honoring 47 graduates at the Bellevue Westin. EDI collaborates with 50 Northwest corporations, such as Boeing, Microsoft, Key Bank, and Nike to provide business relevant, culturally tailored leadership training for Asian Pacific Islander and Hispanic participants. (end)

Janet Sung

Violinist Janet Sung — praised by the Pittburgh Tribune-Review for her “attractive tonal palette” and “lustrous and husky timbre” — will return to Washington state this month to perform Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol with Harvey Felder and the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. Also on the program will be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” as well as Derek Bermel’s “A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace.”

A sought-after teacher and clinician, Sung’s first appearance with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra was in November 2010, when she performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.

Ms. Sung will also take the opportunity to meet with student musicians at nearby schools and the Tacoma Youth Symphony during her visit. The performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18, in the Rialto Theater.

Tickets are available at www.tacomasymphony.org. (end)

Shiro Floyd Mori

The Government of Japan announced that Shiro Floyd Mori, former National Executive Director and former National President of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), will receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, in recognition of his contributions to the improvement of the status of Japanese Americans, strengthening of economic relations between Japan and the United States, and the promotion of Japanese culture in the United States. Mori will be recognized at a reception to be held in Washington, D.C.  He is one of 46 foreign recipients of the 2012 Fall Imperial Decorations. Read the full story

Bob Santos and Sharon Tomiko-Santos (left) and LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee (right) with guests.

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) hosted a gala and auction at the Hyatt Olive 8 on Nov. 2, raising over $300,000 for low-income housing, services, and the Urban Rest Stop. Read the full story

This election was plagued with long lines, ballot shortages, and malfunctioning polls. (Photo by Preston Rhea)

By Staff
The Associated Press

ATLANTA, GA. (AP) — Georgia election officials say they’ve been asked to look into concerns by a group representing Asian Americans that hundreds of new voters are facing obstacles that could keep them from voting.
The Atlanta-based Asian American  Legal Advocacy Center requested the review on Wednesday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Many of the voters are newly naturalized American citizens in Georgia who want to cast their first ballots in a U.S. election, officials with the group said.

The group maintains that some of the voters are missing from voting rolls, and that their registrations have apparently not been processed. Read the full story

By Matthew Lee
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday it is reviewing a U.S. Embassy’s use of a wildly popular Vietnamese website laden with suspected pirated music and Hollywood movies to promote American values, including respect for intellectual property rights. Read the full story

By Didi Tang
The Associated Press

BEIJING, CHINA (AP) — Where can a pop star score a hit by talking about the U.S. Electoral College for 33 minutes? In China, where Gao Xiaosong’s straightforward explanation of the system drew more than 1 million hits in four days. Read the full story

By Grant Peck
The Associated Press

BANGKOK, THAILAND (AP) — The European aid group Doctors Without Borders said Monday, Oct. 28 it has been prevented from providing essential medical services because of tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar. Read the full story

By Doug Ferguson
AP Golf Writer

Guan Tianlang is an eighth-grader from China who barely weighs 125 pounds and doesn’t hit the golf ball far enough to reach some par 4s. The next stop for the 14-year-old prodigy will be the Masters, where he will tee it up with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson at Augusta National. Read the full story

By Assunta Ng

The Galaxy Casino in Macau (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

My mom’s 600 square foot apartment in Hong Kong costs US$2,200 to rent per month. You could both see Read the full story

By Assunta Ng

Portuguese stir-fry with prawns (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

With a population of over 560,000, Macau, a former Portuguese colony settled in 16th century, is an exciting city to see. Its proximity to Hong Kong makes it convenient for tourists to visit in place of Mainland China.  No special visa is required if you are a U.S. citizen, and a ferry makes the trip from Hong Kong to Macau every 15 minutes. It costs under US$20 per person to ride the one-hour ferry. Read the full story

By Assunta Ng

One of ANA’s Boeing 787s (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

When you fly on Asian airlines from Seattle to Asia, you’ll discover that U.S. carriers have much to learn from their Asian counterparts. Food and services are much more superior. And Asian carriers are making money, while U.S. carriers to Asia, are often struggling. What does it say our about competitiveness? Read the full story

By Assunta Ng

The ANA experience is totally new to me. I have never flown ANA before. The Boeing-designed 787 seats are much wider and more comfortable than the other airlines. I felt less fatigued after flying such a long distance. Read the full story

In an effort to ease the financial burden on students and increase the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine, the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women and Macy’s, its national sponsor, are offering the Go Red Multicultural Scholarship Fund. Read the full story

Asian Americans broke towards President Barack Obama, according to the Asian American Election Eve Poll, a joint project of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development  (National CAPACD) and Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). While only 41 percent identify as Democrats, 72 percent of Asian American voters voted for Barack Obama and 26 percent for Mitt Romney. In Congressional races, 73 percent of Asian American voters backed Democratic candidates, while 27 percent backed Republicans. Read the full story

By Andrew Hamlin
Northwest Asian Weekly

Hip hop artist Robert Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA, grew up watching Chinese-language kung fu Read the full story