As three Seattle schools, and two Oregon school districts, reopen this week after flu-related closures, federal officials are backing away from encouraging such shutdowns across the board.
"At this time, CDC recommends the primary means to reduce spread of influenza in schools focus on early identification of ill students and staff, staying home when sick, and good cough etiquette and frequent hand washing," the agency said in a statement this week. "Decisions about school closure should be at the discretion of local authorities based on local considerations." . . .

Officials with the Center for Disease Control are now saying the swine flu outbreak is not as severe as once feared. The same officials warn that the 2009/2010 winter season could see the virus rebound.
A report published in February by the National Academy of Science confirmed what long has been believed – the flu virus thrives in dry, cold air. In other words, the more absolute moisture in the air, the less able a virus is to survive.
So as the coming summer months bring warm air, it's important not to grow complacent. Nutrition plays an important role in preventing infection and gives your body more immune system response if you do become sick. . . .

To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Oregon's statehood, the Oregon Department of Education wanted educators to share their knowledge of the state's varied history. With the help of the Oregon Virtual School District, a website was set up to compile lesson plans from around the state. According to Susanne Smith, a communications officer with the ODE, the website serves as a grassroots effort to get teachers to share effective lesson plans with other teachers. There are a wide variety of lesson plans on the site, from the geography of Oregon to the predictable tales of Lewis and Clark. . . .

... KW: The last time we spoke was a year ago, and we only touched on "Star Trek" slightly back then. Let me ask you this. Was it at all intimidating becoming a part of a film franchise that fans take so seriously and even attend conventions for?
ZS: I would be lying to you if I said I didn't have any concerns about it. I did ask myself, "Do I really want to take on that kind of pressure?" and take the risk of not being well received by the fans or of becoming typecast so early in my career. But in talking with J.J. [director J.J. Abrams], I became curious about the fact that he had been more of a "Star Wars" than a "Star Trek" fan. And what convinced me was that he had just such a beautiful vision for the film. I figured if he was taken with these characters, I definitely didn't want to be left out. . . .

Gingrich's leadership style has been described by political commentators such as Dr. Ron Walters, as "aggressively narrow, mean-spirited and even hateful." Why then would quintessential Black activist and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton be planning a march and rally near the White House this Saturday, at which Gingrich has been invited to speak? And why did they attend a meeting together last week with President Barack Obama? Sharpton answered these questions during an interview with the NNPA News Service: "There is no agreement. He and I are not working together," says Sharpton. "He's coming to say, 'Yes there is a race gap.' But, he and I are not working together." . . .

Send me a bill that stops credit card companies from taking advantage of consumers, and do it by month's end, President Barack Obama is demanding of Congress. But there's no guarantee lawmakers will deliver by Memorial Day, and the banking industry is fighting back. "Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe," Obama said. . . .

When Jacob Zuma takes the presidential oath Saturday, he will become the leader of a country where at least a quarter of the work force is unemployed and 1,000 people die of AIDS every day. No wonder South Africans grasped at Zuma's promises of new hope. It is a measure of his political skill that he was able to convince them his 97-year-old African National Congress, in power since the first all-race elections in 1994, was the party of change. For all the challenges ahead, Zuma says South Africans need only look back for inspiration. . . .

Despite an economy represented by high unemployment rates, a home foreclosure crisis and low consumer confidence, African-American buying power is projected to reach $1.2 trillion in 2013, according to a report conducted by the University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth.
The report "The Multicultural Economy" published in late 2008, estimates that African-American consumers' share of the nation's total buying power will increase from $913 billion, resulting in a contribution of almost nine cents out of every dollar that is spent. Despite this predication, economists believe that consumption by African-Americans will not only fall, but that African-Americans will also continue to be the brunt of high unemployment, suffer an increase in poverty and suffer from a reduction in wages and income. . . .

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The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries today announced a new citizens leadership panel advising the agencies of civil rights trends and helping chart its course for the future.
The panel's co-chairs are Connie Ashbrook of Oregon Tradeswomen and James Mason, director of Diversity Education and Cultural Competence for Providence Health and Services in Oregon.
Other board members include: Cal Henry, founder and president of the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs; Dawn Holt of LifeWorks Northwest; Rep. Tina Kotek; Sarah Mensah of the Oregon TrailBlazers; State Sen. Frank Morse; Urban League of Portland CEO and President Marcus Mundy; and others. . . .