Whether it’s severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or avian influenza, every now and then, there’s an ailment that is hyperbolized. Oftentimes, misinformation creates further confusion. In the last year, the H1N1 influenza strain has been at the center of media attention. Public media commonly refers to it as swine flu.

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“[Seattle Mayor-elect Mike] McGinn explained that rather than making courtesy calls to all the council members, he thought it better to just walk over and meet face to face on a casual basis,” said Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata in a release. “This is a departure from Mayor Nickel’s style, which was to rely more on his deputy mayor Tim Ceis to walk the council hallway.”

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The Board of Directors of Nikkei Concerns (NC), a nonprofit elder care organization primarily serving the Japanese community, announced on Wednesday, Nov. 18, that Susan Oki has resigned from her position as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She will stay until the end of November.

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Most people know that Asians have migrated to countries all over the world, but some are still surprised to learn that Asians live in the West Indies. Some say this is likely due to images perpetrated by the media. Vacation ads often feature white couples enjoying the tropics. Asians aren’t commonly in sight.

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HARRISON, Ark. (AP) — After 52 years on opposite sides of the world, a mother and son have been reunited.

William Whitescarver — or Jo Kyung Nam — of Harrison, and his South Korean birth mother, Choi Chun-Hak of Seoul, met for the first time in more than half a century, when Whitescarver and his children traveled to South Korea in October.

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Countless generations of parents stress the importance of education to their kids.John Okamoto wants these parents to know that the teachers in this state also care deeply about teaching kids.

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The 2009 Advancing Justice Conference: Asian American and Pacific Islanders Building New Foundations for Civil Rights is an inaugural national civil rights and social justice conference expected to draw community and government leaders and legal professionals from across the country.

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The 16th Asian Games, part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), will be “going smokeless” with firm prohibitions on the sale of tobacco products and tobacco sponsorship of the Games.

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Women lose weight, buy new clothes, color their hair, and fly across the ocean to seize “the moment” in their lives.

I have to confess that I am one of these vain creatures who invest lots of money — $150 worth of new outfits and shoes plus airfare to fly to Hong Kong — for a unique occasion.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao had a hat perched jauntily on his head, a bandage wrapped neatly around his right ear. His real work done for the night, he was heading down the Las Vegas Strip to sing a few songs with his band.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — “The Future is Cao” was the widely reported subject line of a memo U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner issued the day after Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao achieved an upset victory over Democrat William Jefferson last December.

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SHANGHAI (AP) — Pressing for freedom on China’s own turf, President Barack Obama said Monday, Nov. 16, that individual expression is not an American ideal but a universal right that should be available to all.

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Last weekend, during a trip to Asia that was designed to build U.S. influence in the area, President Obama bowed to Japan’s Emperor Akihito. This single action caused a storm of controversy. Responses have been polarized, divided down party lines. Obama’s Republican critics say it was a sign of subservience, and the president was showing weakness. The State Department, however, has stressed that “the president was simply showing respect.”

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On Oct. 2, Ehren Watada was discharged from the U.S. Army under “other than honorable conditions.” Ehren is the Asian American Army officer who refused to deploy to Iraq because he claimed the war was illegal.

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President Obama nominated Suresh Kumar as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, Department of Commerce.

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This year, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) awarded former Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW) Editor Eleanor Lee for her excellent writing in Northwest Asian Weekly’s editorial section. Lee placed third in the opinion category and received her award on May 30 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.

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