Mercury News Photo

BEIJING — This sprawling metropolis of 20 million is a canvas of contrasts.

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Mark Bingham’s mother retrieved the final messages sent to her son’s cellphone; here are the stories of the people who left them.

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Bharatanatyam dancer Rasika Kumar.
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Computer class gives Vietnamese orphans a window to the world.
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East Palo Alto: a city’s struggle
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Caught in a budget meltdown, the state is forcing schools to abandon one of the most popular education reforms — smaller class sizes.
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InnVision at the Commercial Street needs a new computer lab.
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From early childhood, Amanda Madrid moved from one foster care family to another. At 22 she is putting her life together.
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As the nation debates illegal immigration in the abstract, a Bay Area family lives the raw anguish of deportation and the intense fight to stay together. This is their story.
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[VIDEO] Despite India’s explosive economic growth, extreme poverty is still a daily reality for millions.
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The Foundation for Excellence, a Silicon Valley non-profit, provides scholarships to brilliant students who are among India’s vast poor. (more…)

San Jose State University’s graduation ceremony on May 24, 2008.
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[VIDEO] In California, the number of TB cases is slowly declining, but in the Bay Area, the number is on the rise.
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Friday night regulars mingle and move during club night at the Fred Astaire dance studio in Santa Clara. [VIDEO]
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Five local teen bands competed for the grand prize of 10 hours of professional studio recording time. [VIDEO]
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[VIDEO] The Spirit of Uganda troupe performs to raise money and awareness for 2.4 million orphan children in Uganda.
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