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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1986)
.• w Z * i Page 2, Portland Observer, August 27, 1986 EDITORIAL/OPINION Illiteracy, a National Problem .< The United States once claimed that almost 99 percent of its citizens could read Accord ing to a new study, at least 27 million Ameri cans cannot read a label on a medicine bottle or address an envelope. all ethnic groups. It is a national problem. It is estimated that illiteracy costs the nation $20 billion annually in military waste, welfare, pri son maintenance, accidents, and welfare pay ments. In addition, 46 million people are marginally literate— their reading and writing skills are so inadequate they cannot complete a job appli cation or pass a written driver's license test w ithout help. In addition, the government estimates that illiteracy is responsible for $308 billion in un realized life time earnings and tax revenues of illiterates between the ages of 25 and 34 In order to correct this problem, the federal government, working in conjunction with the private and public sector, should implement sound concrete programs to address this distressing problem. For years many viewed the problem of illiteracy as mostly a Black and Hispanic pro blem. This is a false assumption, when in fact the number of Black and Hispanic illiterate persons is half that of the illiterate White popu lation. ', ; Illiteracy is a serious problem that crosses Unless the problem of illiteracy is given top priority in our society, we will have a new per manent underclass in this country. Healthwatch cardiovascular disease Some arti cles and research has suggested that long term use causes up to 5 times the severity and mortality in women with cardiovascular disease Other reports have lower levels of increased side effects, but most major studies have mentioned a pro bable increase in these diseases due to the use of oral contraceptives. There are a number of things that can be considered in the use of birth control medications Firstly, it is an accepted fact that oral contra ceptives diminish the body's levels of Vitamins B 6 and E. While com mon formulations of oral contracep tives do not include additional B 6 and E, it is easy to supplement these on your own 200 I U s of Vitamin E and 50 mg. of B 6 are easily tolera ted by the majority of individuals Other cardiovascular supports in elude low fat diets, exercise, stress management and foods that are high in anti inflammatory compo nents (fish, onions, garlic, and other sources of E P A , a type of fatty acid found in salmon, linseed oil, etc). As well as trying to buffer the effects of oral contraceptives, there may be the option of using another method. The I.U D is gradually being phased out of common prac tice due to the numerous law suits and common physical trauma asso — - j O 'f , H '.•••■ ■ 0 * A s s t' ib o n B V ™ for a bus ticket, $20 00 cash, food stamps for a month, and placement in a drug infested hotel downtown where the chances for success are both tedious and non existent, ne ver having a chance to relax and address more self saving desires other than the escape from drud gery and desire: An immediate cure, continued drug use and a sure re turn to crime Final analysis: re turn to prison Inside/Outside People is an impli cit example of a diverse group of people who agree We are seeking those who have the same concern as we do to ignite the love of one to one's brother, so that together we can bridge the gap that separates our jieople From neigh ciated with its use Other less dan gerous forms of birth control in clude the diaphram and cervical caps* which are barrier methods of control The use o, basal body tern peratures, mucus evaluation and monthly cycles can dramatically in crease the effectiveness of the "rh y thm m ethod" This and the use of condoms are other forms of non chemical control While each of these methods requires responsibt lity on the part of the users, they can, when properly used, provide a safe deterant to pregnancy. No form of birth control is 100% effec live nor 100% safe The relative effectiveness and safety of each method can be obtained from most physicians, Planned Parenthood or any number of clinics offering birth control information. The side effect of an ineffective method is an unwanted pregnancy, and tins must tie looked at when choosing the method best suited for yourself Again, if you are uneduca ted about these methods, consult a licensed provider of these services before making your decision An educated decision is the best one that anyone can make. ’ Cerva di c <•(>« are t ur rectify under F DA »ludy fttatut and while used effectively for decades •n Europe, ran only f»e dispensed through participating clinics in the U S Portland Observer • »' **»*»• •••*' *» The hw itu m i fJ6trr»er w et ettattahad m 19M) t ( . » rv W M M t O Mr member NAN N A PER Founded Anociaiion Sobecnpton* USUO i w year m the Tn County area m a tte r Sand erfckaee c hanget to the f\* r ih n d Boa 3137 Portland Oregon 9 72OB IM S Alfred L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher Al Williams. General Manager fpORTWND OBSERVER Poat P O 288 0033 N a tio n a l A d v ertis in g R e p re s e n ta tiv e A m a lg a m a te d Publishers Inc N a w York U S for one year ITS for two years Ben 3137 Portland OR HZ»« I I < m C> O -f -f m < O to < 5 lO -n 2 £ * ■ The problem of drug and alcohol abuse in society has reached crisis proportion Drugs are used univer sally for pleasure and medicinal pur poses around the world The aver age American family has about thir ty different drugs m its medicine cabinet and numerous alcohol be verages in its liquor cabinet This doesn't include illicit drugs Since only a small percentage of sufistance abusers avail themselves of the opportunity for help, many do not receive the help they need Realizing this, the Community Re covery and De Paul Center has de veloped an outreach program called Project of Community Recovery Project for Community Recovery was established in July 1984 to bring quality, multicultural alcohol ism and drug addiction treatment services to Portland s North North east Community The program of fers a workshop for co dependents (spouses relatives, or close friends of someone with a drug or alcohol addiction! The main focus of this program is education and intervention. Pre sentations are given, free of charge, to co dependents informing them of the symptoms and progression of substance abuse, as well as avail able community resources The program consists of a series of five lectures Week I borhood to neighborhood, from mi nister to minister and from church to church, let us as a people come together and heal those old wounds Together we can solve all our problems and provide for our young people that rooted founda tion, that unshakable faith, to over come all obstacles Inside/Outside People recognizes our community churches and their determination to reach out We applaud those mini sters who recognize that sin will not take care of itself, and that the church must enter back into the world to do God’s will. Please contact Inside/Outside People, 5003 N E 13th, Portland, OR 282 6055 The O/Kerver IU SPS 96» €80) 1» pubbtbori ovary Tburvloy by Ea*e Pubfaohog Company fnc N E K worth Portland Oregon 97211 Pott OWtce Boa 3137. Portland Oregon 9Z71W Second 1lavi pottage i*o»d at Portland Oregon Photo by Richard J. Brown by Jerry Garner Message to the Community of the Utmost Concern It is not the intention of Inside/ Outside People to become a pana cea, a relief, for those of us who are involved in crime We do not wish to coddle men or help them to evade their personal and communal responsibilities to be productive However, it is our intention to pro vide much needed attention to re lease which recidivism breeds It is the professional opinion of this writer that recidivism is a direct product of what our penal institu tions propagate. A man is oftentimes released from prison with only those monies earned in prison industries which fluctuates from $1 00 to $4.00 a day and 60 percent of these men are released on subsidy which provides DE PAUL CENTER, INC De Paul Center Offers Co-Dependents W orkshop by Steven Bailey. N O The recent study on the effects of oral contraceptives as reported by the New England Journal of Medi cine, Vol. 315, Aug. 14, 1986, pro vides further support for the conten tion that oral contraceptive use does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer The relationship be tween the use of "birth control pills" and the development of breat cancer has been an area of debate since the early 60 s This study conducted by the Center for Di sease Control in Atlanta compared nearly 5,000 women who used oral contraceptives with 5,000 randomly selected women located in the same geographical area The statistical analysis of the data showed no dif ference between the two groups. This should come as good news to the millions of women who have used oral contraceptives since the early 60's. The report does suggest that the long term effects cannot be analyzed until there exists long-term use with each of the common fo r mulations, so the final evaluation of safety is yet to be completed Both the original article and the subsequent Journal editorial clearly mention that other side effects of the use of oral contraceptives were not addressed by this study. Pro bably the most important of these side effects are the influence long term use has on the development of JAN BRYAN DISCUSSES HER RELATIONSHIP WITH A SUBSTANCE ABUSER TO FRED WILLIAMS OF n s tr i& i « « 4.» » ». Week II Introduces the co de pendents to patterns of African American alco hoi usage; the seven sta ges of family develop ment under stress of chemical dependency; and needs and strategies for intervention Explores the disease mo del of chemical depen dency and outlines the distinct stages of chem ical abuse. Week III Defines the facts and myths about co-depen dency and a format for co dependency assess ment and discusses al ternatives for recovery. Week IV Focuses on how the di sease of chemical depen dency affects family members and how they help perpetuate the di sease During the week, a model is introduced to restructure the dysfunc tional family Week V Explores the phenome non of physical depen dency and withdrawal symptoms, as well as other biological aspects of alcohol and drug use. Participants who complete the series receive a certificate of com pletion from Project for Community Recovery. In spite of the valuable resources Project for Community Recovery offers to the African American com munity, participation from the com mumty has been lukewarm, said Frederick Williams Although drug and alcohol abuse is a serious pro blem in our community, African Americans aren't utilizing the ser vices that are available to them William, who is the Director of Community Development for the De Paul Center, is promoting the out reach program in the African Amen can community The South Caro lina native formerly served as Direc tor of the Minority Students Pro gram at the University of Portland for eight years Williams said he has contacted a host of churches and community organizations in an effort to make the African American community aware of Project for Community recovery and other programs that deal with alcohol and substance abuse Williams said, "I've made contact with several churches in the African- American community So far, only three St Andrews, Immaculate Heart, and Maranatha have re sponded The pastors at St An drews and Immaculate Heart have let me address their congregation to inform them of the program. I am planning on meeting with the youth counselors at Maranatha to explain the program to them " Williams said it is important that African Americans take advantage of the services. "One of the most common attitudes of co depen dents is that the drug or alcohol condition, if left untreated or de nied, will improve It is a progres sive disease, and there is no waiting for it to get better It isn't going to happen The problem will only get worse " Furthermore, he said, unless more people start utilizing the pro gram and the assessment and out patient services at 735 N Alberta, it is a possibility that troth services could be cut back This, says W il liams, would be tragic If you are interested in learning a structured confrontation interven tion method to get the addicted individual into treatment, attend the lecture senes on Monday nights, 7 00 p m to 9:00 p.m., at the King Neighborhood Facility which is loca ted at 4815 N E . 7th, or contact Fredrick Williams at 282 2468
