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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1978)
Portland Observer Thursday, December 14, 1978 Page 5 than any other restaurant in the Western International Hotels group o f which The Benson is a member. The London G rill was one o f the first in a trend toward bringing distinctive, specialty dining into the country’s fine hotels, rather than dining rooms that were merely considered places for guests to eat The G rill’s redesign is the work o f Seattle designers John Fikkan and John Jones, both Senior Designers o f Western Service & Supply Company, a wholly- owned subsidiary o f Western International Hotels. Kaspar M urer, a recent ad dition to The Benson staff, is Director o f Restaurants and Xavier Bauser is Executive C hef for the London G rill. Western International Hotels is a wholly-owned subsidiary o f U A L , Inc., parent company o f United Airlines. The prestigious hospitality firm owns or m anagef fifty hotels in fourteen countries throughout the world. Western In ternational Hotels is the oldest operating major hotel management company in America. MARIES KITCHEN BREAKFAST AT A N YTIM E Tuaa-Thura 8:30 am-8 pm — Frl- Sat 8:30 am-3:30 am — Sun 8:30 am-3:30 pm SPECIAL CHITTLINGS DAILY 5 2 4 6 N.E. U N IO N 2 8 7 -9 3 6 3 PORTLAND,ORE. CLOSED MONDAY Community Calendar During press reception in the London Grill Allen Jones chats with hotel manager Paul Himmelman in front of 1793 English fireplace. by A llan Jones LONDON GRILL RE-OPENS IN THE BENSON The London G rill, Portland’s gourmet landmark in The Benson, reopened its doors with a new look December 10th. The G rill has been closed for remodeling since early November, and an interim restaurant set up in another area o f the hotel. The remodeling was the final step o f a six-month upgrading program on The G rill. The most obvious change to greet G rill patrons will be the open, uncrowded atmosphere. This has been accomplished by removing the low partitions, decreasing the seating by 25r » and installing new and more traditional chan deliers and wall lights. The familiar oak casks along the far wall have been removed. In their place is a circa 1793 English polished steel fireplace, accented with mirrors. The big cooking hood over the display kitchen has been embellished with a covering o f brass foil. The gray-black ceiling has given way to a raisin-brown color that picks up the red tones in the leather upholstery. Red wallpaper and new hunting scene pic tures further accentuate the decor. A ll the original oak panelling has been retained. The bar has been relocated to near the base o f the main stairs, especially con venient for diners as a meeting place for a before-dinner drink. New bar tables in the "early Industrial Revolution" style retain the flavor o f an English pub. The alrcady-famous dinner menu has several delicious additions. Appetizer choices now include Columbia River caviar, fresh artichokes (served hot or to ld ), shrimp cocktail with avocado and freshly marinated herring. From the “ new French cuisine” comes a house specialty; sauteed chicken with tarragon ("Poule» Saute’ a I’ Estragon"). New seafood entrees include Filet o f Red Snapper with Ginger and Poached Filet o f Flounder with Mussel Sauce. And the a lready-exten sive beef section now o ffe rs " F la m e d Peppersteak Madagascar.” Another new dish. Sauteed Chicken Stuffed with Crabmeat, joins the Northwest salmon (baked or poached) and prime rib on the complete dinner. New breakfast and lunch menus have been similarly expanded. The London G rill first opened in 1955 and has won nearly every significant U .S . dining and cuisine award. It had remained unchanged for 23 years, longer The PSU Educational Center will present "P urlie Victories, ” Ossie Davis* play about the pre-civil rights South December 21st, 22nd 23rd and December 28th, 29th and 30th at 8:00 p.m. at PUS Lincoln H all (229-4440). Crim e Prevention Workshop for senior citizens. Thursday, January 18th and 25th, 3:00 p.m. Ockly Green School. Ockly Green Com munity School classes begin January 8th (call 285-8269). Business and Professional Circle o f M t. Olivet Church, second annual Christmas Tea, December 17th, 1:00-3:00 p .m ., 116 N .E . Schuyler. Proceeds will go to the scholarship fund. Chairman is Mrs. Jewell F. Bowman. Portland Modulators’ "Disco B re a k ," Friday, December 15th, 9:00 p.m .- 1:00 a.m . at Elks Club, 6 N. Tillam ook. Music by Gene Holmes. Proceeds to scholarship fund. Margaret H ill, choir member o f St. Philip Episcopal Church, will play the part o f the witch in Lake Oswego Community Theater production o f “ Hansel and G retel.” Thursday-Saturday, December 14th-16th and 21st-23rd at the Theater in Lake Oswego (635-3901). Grand opening will be held at the newly refurbished N orth Precinct /S t. Johns C ity Halt, 7214 N . Philadelphia. The ceremonies will begin at 10:00 a.m . and offices will be open until 6:00 p.m . The building will be open on Saturday from 11:00 a .m .-4:00 p.m . and on Sunday from 1:00-4:00 p.m. The opening ceremony will feature M ayor Neil Goldschmidt, Commissioner Charles Jor dan, and Commissioner Frank Ivancie. The Jefferson High School Brass Band will perform . On December 16th, at 7:30 p.m. at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum the Port land Winterhawks will sponsor a Portland Police Sunshine Division Night to raise food for the Sunshine Division’ s Annual Christmas Food Drive. The game will feature the Portland Winterhawks vs. the Seattle Breakers. Children under 12 years o f age will be admitted free with a donation o f canned food or a non-perishable food item. Sunshine food barrels will be available at the front gate. Standard admission fees will be in effect for all people 12 years or older. Please come, bring your family and friends and help the Sunshine Division lend a helping hand to a needy family at Christmas. Olga Broumas, 1976 Yale Younger Poet, will give a benefit reading for A Woman’s Place Bookstore on Tuesday, December 19th, 8:00 p.m. at the North west Service Center, 1956 N .W . Everett. A native o f Greece, Ms. Broumas brings to her powerful feminist poetry an unusual precision in the use o f the English language. Tickets are available at A W om an’s Place Bookstore (1300 S .W . Washington) and at the door. Childcare will be free and refreshments available. For further inform ation and to make childcare arrangements, call A W om an’s Place Bookstore at 226-0848. "T h e Healthy Body, ” a practical course in health maintenance and body awareness, is being presented this winter by Portland State University. The in structor is D r. A m Strasser, a Portland chiropractic Physician interested in preventive and drugless wholistic health. For further inform ation contact the Department o f Continuing Education at 229-4812. ' , . . SERVICE COMPANY "Exquisite Q u a lity ” LEATHER RECOIORIN V IN Y Î REPAIR AUTO & FURNITURE STRIPING A SIDE M O L D IN G LEATHER REPAIR W INDSHIELD REPAIRl COMPLETE AUTO TRIM SU NR O O F INSTALLATION] 9 1 3 N . K IL L IN G S W O R T H SEAFOOD M fln v r T Q M H K tS tlb 9 4 0 .8 1 1 1 • S.E. 112th & POWELL • BEAVERTON MALL a 816N .E . GRAND The Albina Ministerial Alliance announces the sponsorship o f the U .S .D .A . C hild Care Food Program. Meals will be made available to enrolled children at no seperate charge with regard to race, color, or national origin. Meals are provided at the following sites: Bethel Child Care Center, 5828 N .E . 8th Avenue; Berean Child Care Center, 4822 N . Vancouver Avenue; Children’s Millenium , 1624 N .E . Hancock; Hughes Day Care Center, 111 N .E . Failing; Woodlawn Day Care Center, 1425 N .E . Dekum; Iris Court Day Care Center, 400 N. Sumner; North Area Sattelite, 9009 N . Foss; and Southeast Day Care Center, 2800 S.E. Harrison. Approved U .S .D .A . Family Day Care Homes. b re a d Black soap operas mask discrimination in media by E a rl O fari (P N S ) — George Jefferson, star o f the popular Black comedy series, “ The Jeffersons,” returns to his old Harlem neighborhood on Christmas Eve to aid a needy family. At the commercial break, a Black fam ily celebrates a reunion with smiles and Pepsi-Cola all around. From all such outward appearances — “ The Jeffersons” , Black faces in com m ercials. Black reporters and Black radio broadcasters — equal o p p o rtu n ity now p revails in the media. But behind his Black and white picture o f harmony on the airwaves is a pattern o f Black exclusion from m edia em ploym ent as serious as ever. The myth that Blacks now play a consequential role in the shape and operations o f the networks was ef fectively shattered last summer by a len g th y U .S . C iv il Rights C o m m ission rep o rt on women and m in o ritie s in te le v is io n . Ap p ro p ria te ly title d " W in d o w Dressing on the S e t," the report presented statistics on the number and percentage o f m inorities em ployed in program, administrative, and management positions. The findings, based on a sample o f fo rty stations, were dism al. The majors. A B C , CBS, NBC, came un der particular fire. In the off-camera positions (sound, lighting, direction and production) minorities made up less than two percent o f the crews. Blacks and m ino rities in m an agem ent fared even worse. In four categories o f officials ringing fro m news d ire c to r to business manager, there were no Blacks em p lo y e d . O f the top th irte e n management categories, only one was held by a Black. That slot, which is a general managership, is held at an N B C a ff ilia te in Jackson, Mississippi. The prospects for any substantial change in this s itu a tio n appear equally grim , especially after con sidering the expressed opinions o f those station managers the com mission interviewed. Most were con vinced that minorities “ lacked the a p p ro p ria te q u a lific a tio n s or ex perience necessary” for the higher positions. The report also revealed that the Federal C o m m u n ic a tio n s C o m mission (F C C ), whose responsibility it is to monitor station practices, has no guidelines specifying that any o f its licensees take affirm ative action steps to co rrect deficiencies in minority employment. W hile Blacks were making little progress in behind-the-scenes em ployment, there did appear to be a significant breakthrough in screen access. New shows (almost always comedy or variety) were being script ed, and a few name personalities began to prosper. However, the new 1978-79 season represents a d iffe re n t ball game. There are no Blacks in any lead roles in any o f the new series. Only two Blacks have supporting roles in the 21 shows. The four shows in which Blacks held leading roles last season were cancelled. Presently, only NBC has even developed a pilot for a Black show, " H a rris & Com pany,” which may or may not be seen later in the viewing season. M any observers thought that the spectacular success o f a series like “ Roots” would turn the head o f some industry officials. Their con cern has always been over the proven marketability and "appeal” o f Black shows for white audiences. The lack o f commitment this year shows that Hollywood remains unconvinced of Black drawing power. The pattern o f media racism is the same in c o m m e rcia l ad v e rtis in g . Black visibility, which certainly has increased in commercials, again does not represent a s ig n ific a n t e m ployment shift. Bill Cosby’ s smiling face and O .J. Simpson’s sprints through airports obscure the fact th a t there are thousands o f Black actors and ac tresses denied employment because they d on ’ t possess celebrity name and status. A T V executive admitted that an advertiser’s sales depend on the public " id e n tify in g ” with the product's on-camera representative. T V is, o f course, A m e ric a ’ s glamor medium, so it might be ex pected that selectivity in hiring o f m ino rities w ould be a persistent issue. But could this also be said of the operations o f radio networks? The problem for Blacks in radio boils down to one simple thing: ab sence o f ownership. Radio stations yearly reap m illio n s from broad casting “ soul” music, while Blacks c o n tro l v irtu a lly none o f the product. Blacks own 51 commercial stations nationally, in contrast to the m ore than 8 ,0 0 0 w h ite-o w n ed stations. The d e te rio ra tin g s ituatio n for Blacks in the commercial media has p ro m p ted m any to exp lo re the possibilities o f employment and ac cess in the public or non-commercial media outlets. A few public networks such as the independent Pacifica stations have recently made gains in Black employment. Black managers and program directors have been hired at Pacifica stations in Berkeley and Houston. This positive trend has not carried over to those public stations, both T V and radio, funded by the govern m e n t-s u p p o rte d C o rp o ra tio n for P u b lic B ro adcastin g. N a tio n a l Public Radio, which airs news and views programs daily over thousands o f stations across the country, has only one Black correspondent. He serves as part o f the national/inter national news team, with the primary charge o f covering African affairs. I f tokenism is the order in T V and radio, their are still large numbers o f newspapers th at d o n ’ t o ffe r even th a t. A study by the A m erican Society o f Newspaper Editors found th at fu lly 88 percent o f U .S . newspapers with circulations under 10,000 employed no minority report ers. Other survey findings showed: • Eleven m in o rity members o f management out o f the thousands o f editors employed by newspapers; • expenditures fo r scholarship and training programs for prospec tive m inority journalists decreased from $225,000 to $115,000 between 1972 and 1977; • and only four percent o f the ed ito rs and reporters o f the newspapers surveyed were minority. N o t s u rp ris in g ly , the lack o f Blacks in the media has severely limited coverage o f news and events from the Black community. White editors, either through ignorance or d isinterest, o fte n c o n fin e th eir coverage o f the Black community to stereotyped reporting o f crime or en tertainment events. Moreover, there is the additional problem o f biased reporting which continues to creep into the media’s style. "F o rc e d busing,” "reverse d is c r im in a tio n ,” “ w h it e s massacred,” are loaded terms used again and again by reporters and an nouncers in describing the d a y ’ s events. W ith affirm ative action under at tack, and federal and slate agencies increasingly reluctant to “ tam per” with the media, the chances o f revers ing what the Urban League's Ver non Jo rd an labels " th e new negativism” as it affects the media seem rem o te. R obert M a y n a rd , chairman o f the Institute for Jour nalism E d u c a tio n , noted that newspapers are no longer looking for m inority journalists. " I t ’ s not an issue o f supply,” he said. " I t ’s an issue o f demand.” (E a r l O fa r i is p u b lic -a ffa ir s an alyst f o r K P F K ra d io , Los Angeles, and the au th or o f " T h e M yth o f Black Capitalism. ") NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED MADE WITH PURE LIQUID VEGETABLE SHORTENING Baked just right for you! Tha PRODUCE CENTER of PORTLAND TANGERINES Tha ZIPPER-SKINNED HOLIDAY FRUIT LB a» BO SC OREGON IN-THI-SHfU. 89‘ WALNUTS •UNMUT NA V i l n ORANCES...... CS,T PEARS • 33‘ BOX 00 e SPAGHETTI ANOMMNS NO OMOSiT • and PRK 1 Sai. 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