Nation
>>Asian American family claims Powerball jackpot
An 11-member Asian American family has claimed the $85.7 million Powerball jackpot through Baton Rouge, LA attorney George Bayhi. The members of the family partnership include local business owners, professionals, and college students. The winning ticket was purchased on July 31 in Baton Rouge.
The family partnership has decided to pursue the one-time lump sum payment of $45,770,486 million, which amounts to about $32,039,340 after federal and state taxes.
The family has been living in Baton Rouge for about 20 years, and are all U.S. citizens, stated the family’s attorney, George Bayhi.
For more information, please visit http://www.klfy.com.
Bay/CA
>> Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye confirmed by state commission
California chief justice nominee Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has won unanimous confirmation by a state commission. The three-member Commission on Judicial Appointments listened to roughly two hours of testimony before agreeing to approve of Cantil-Sakauye’s nomination.
The testimonies comprised of a total of 12 witnesses, including a representative of a bar evaluations committee who spoke in favor of her, and a community activist who spoke out against her.
If approved by voters on the November ballot, Cantil-Sakauye will become the court’s first Filipina and second female chief justice. Cantil-Sakauye’s selection will also give the California Supreme Court its first female majority.
For more information, please visit www.latimes.com
Arts/Entertainment
>>Chinatown Culture Fair to hit streets of Sacramento
On September 19, Culture Fair at the Historic Chinatown Mall will be celebrating Sacramento’s rich Chinese heritage, culture and arts. The public is invited to join in the line-up of endless entertainment, food, renowned authors, filmmakers, historians, and over 16 Northern California organizations in the Asian Pacific Islander, Russian, and East Indian community.
Some of the exhibits will include the Chinese American Council of Sacramento’s (CACS) Canton Footprints Hall of Fame Exhibit and Lawrence and Brian Tom’s Images of America: Sacramento’s Chinatown Exhibit. Other cultural entertainment will include martial arts, cultural performances, and a wide variety of Children’s cultural activities.
The purpose of the 2010 Chinatown Culture Fair is to honor some of the most renowned pioneers in today’s Chinese-American history. the 2010 Chinatown Mall Culture Fair will present “Women Hold Up Half the Sky” to honor the first female president of a Consolidated Chinese Benevolent Society (Chung Wah) in all of the United States- Jane Tam. Other well-accomplished females of Chinese American history will also be awarded.
What: Chinatown Mall Culture Fair
Where: Historic Chinatown Mall, Sacramento CA 95814 (Between 3rd & 5th Streets and I-J Streets)
When: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit http://www.yeefow.com/culturefair
>>SMTOWN LIVE ’10 WORLD TOUR to feature top-notch KPop stars
Famous Korean Pop Stars will be performing live at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sept. 4th for their SMTOWN Live ’10 World Tour. Los Angeles will be second major city that the tour will visit, which will be followed by performances in Tokyo, Shanghai, and many other major Asian cities. The tour is created by the talent of entertainment companies AEG Live, SM entertainment, and Powerhouse.
The tour is filled with line up of top-performing Korean stars, including Boa, Kangta, U Know, Max, Super Junior, Girls’ generation, SHINee, f(x), Zhang Li Yin, Trax, and other SM Entertainment artists. The L.A. concert is expected to sell out to thousands of fans who have been anxiously waiting to see these stars live, since all of the artists are expected to attend.
The SMTOWN Live ’10 World Tour will be hosting an official after party at the Conga Room located on 800 west Olympic Boulevard, L.A. from 10:30 p.m.- 2:00 a.m. General and V.I.P ticketswill be on sale to the public with prices starting at $55.
To purchase tickets, please visit Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, the Staples Center Box Office, or call Powerhouse at (323)692-0303. Fore more information, please visit www.powerhouselive.net.
COMMERCE
>>Chinese American Tycoon Chen Songxiong donates half of his fortune to charity
Chinese American tycoon Chen Songxiong (Patrick Soon-Shiong) and his wife Michele Chanad has donated roughly half of his fortune to charity. Chen’s decision was in response to Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ and investor Warren Buffet’s request for billionaires around the world to donate half of their fortunes to charity.
The biopharmacy industry tycoon’s early days began with his birth in South Africa’s Johannesburg in 1952. He thus grew up during South Africa’s apartheid era. He earned his medical degree from Witwatersrand University, and eventually came to Los Angeles in 1980 to teach. In 1990, Chen set up a diabetes pharmaceutical company and the American Pharmaceutical Partners, an American drug partnership.
Chen ranks 154th on Forbes Magazine’s list of richest people, with about five billion U.S. dollars in property.
For more information, please visit http://english.peopledaily.com.
GLOBAL
>>N. Korea releases American captive
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has secured the return of American Aijalon Gomes after requesting amnesty. Gomes has been jailed since January for an illegal entry into North Korea from China. In April, North Korean authorities sentenced him to eight years of labor and fined him more than $600,000. Gomes is the fourth American arrested in North Korea for illegal entry.
Carter had spent three days of negotiation in North Korea, including an appeal for Gomes’ release and “open-hearted” discussions about the country’s nuclear program. Korean Central News Agency said that Carter held cordial talk’s with Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s No. 2. However, there was no official report that that Carter spoke with dictator Kim Jong Il.
Carter and Gomes are expected to arrive in Boston this afternoon.
For more information, please visit http://www.mercurynews.com
