By BEN HAMAMOTO
Nichi Bei Times

Mari Michener Oye, an 18-year-old fourth-generation Japanese American, stood on the White House lawn holding a letter in the sweltering summer heat. From just a few feet away, President Bush urged Oye and the other 140 students of the Presidential Scholars class of 2007 to make decisions they could live with for the rest of their lives.

By KENJI G. TAGUMA
Nichi Bei Times

LOS ANGELES — The investment company that bought large parcels of San Francisco’s Japantown last year is currently in negotiations to purchase large properties in one of the three remaining Japantowns in the country, say Los Angeles Japanese American community leaders.

The National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS) announced on Aug. 15 that the House of Representatives has approved $1 million toward the establishment of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) Historic Learning Center at Building 640 in the Presidio of San Francisco.

In this Nichi Bei Times exclusive series, Dr. Greg Robinson, author of "By the Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans," examines little-known but prominent figures in Japanese American history.

By GREG ROBINSON
Nichi Bei Times Contributor

One "great unknown" that we all face is the true nature of other people’s marriages. Nobody outside, not even friends or children, can really be certain what occurs between husbands and wives beyond closed doors. This seems to be equally true, in a different sense, when the spouses are professional collaborators: how do we know who is responsible for what they come up with?

By WILLIAM HOLLINGWORTH
Kyodo News

LONDON — The first inhabitants of North and South America could have been fishermen from Japan who traveled there in small boats, according to research in the latest edition of New Scientist magazine.

As part of our continuing commitment to provide resources for the community, the Nichi Bei Times presents our annual listing of Japanese school courses in Northern and Central California. The purpose of this list is to encourage language maintenance by providing a resource by which to find appropriate classes for children and adults. We understand, however, that it may not be a complete list. Therefore, we would appreciate notification of any Japanese language classes we may have overlooked. This list does not include Japanese courses at community colleges or universities.
List compiled by KATHY AOKI/Nichi Bei Times

(See the Nichi Bei Times English weekly, August 16-22, 2007 for complete list).

By ANNIE KIM TOMITA NOGUCHI
Nichi Bei Times Columnist

"I like your body shape," she exclaimed, swinging her rack of clothing around in the process. "You’re a skinny minnie all over" — she continues to wave her hands around — "but you’re big right THERE!" Triumphantly, she jabs her finger in the air at my midsection, where a medium sized donut currently resides. I feel slightly violated. "It’s real cute!"