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Page 2, Portland Observer, August 27, 1986
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Illiteracy, a National Problem
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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
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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
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The hw itu m i fJ6trr»er w et ettattahad m 19M)
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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
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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
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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
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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