Page 2 -The Portland O b server September 12, 1990
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T I V E S
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’ By Professor McKinley Burt ; , ...
the “ information explosion” , when
before, our poor mental circuits may
already have been quite overloaded? Most
of just routinely file new facts away
somewhere in a cluttered “ memory
bank” . A number of people who have
seen my presentation on local television
have asked, how can you stand there for
an hour and a half straight and deliver all
that information without halting, stutter­
ing or a lot of * ‘er-ahs’ ’? You sure know
your subject matter.
“Knowing" is not quite enough!
You have to be at ease, with your mind
free enough to allow you to ‘deal with
t was not surprising that several
your audience’ - to be able to respond
readers said they could identify with with your eyes and a glance to those nods
last week’s statement, “ The Best Tests
of assent and murmurs evoked be Key
and Curriculum Are In Your Mind.” points. You need an opportunity to ad­
Though consciously unaware of using dress unforeseen audience responses to
this approach to the learning process, particular parts of your presentation, and
many people do employ it. Believe me you must have “ Facts On File” to deal
when I tell you that “ learning can be fun with that. Now, we know one thing for
sure; a contractor does not go about
at any age.” Let us see if that isn’t so.
Being able to retrieve and deliver building a house in some helter-skelter
information "on call” is what it is all fashion. HE HAS THE ARCHITECT'S
about -- the bottom line! that is what a PLANS!
That is what it is all about, a
computer is all about, supposedly. But
think about it - this machine has first to “ Plan.” A book, any book, has a plan or
be told what to do. Data or information commonly accepted format. You find a
has to be inserted in a highly organized ‘Table of Contents’ where the subject
form before it can be retrieved in any matter is organized in a classification
useful manner. And the ‘ ‘mind’ ’ that is scheme which proceeds in orderly fash­
relying upon this device must therefore ion to carry you through a chapter by
be equally well organized in order to chapter presentation of the subject mat­
effectively insert data (programming) ter. There is an introduction and/or pref­
ace that gives an overview of the ‘jour­
and to retrieve it.
W hat’s the answer in the era of ney’ you are about to take. In the final
What Do
You Mean,
You Can't
Remember?
I
•%• • •
pages you are given perhaps a summary,
an index, a glossary, and maybe a bibli­
ography. Many books would be very
difficult to use, almost useless, if they
did not have this schema. YOUR MIND
can be almost useless if it is not as well
organized.
There are o f course many gim­
micks and devices on the market, all
advertised to “ improve your memory” '
- high priced tapes ‘guaranteed’ to pro­
vide you with instant recall, and there are
expensive sem inars sworn to make you a
better student or a more effective speaker,
or even a much higher paid executive.
But I can assure you, just as with the
‘computer programming’ model I gave,
that none of these things can be accom­
plished in a meaningful manner unless
you first develop an organized mind;
“ Knowing is not quite enough.”
An interesting example of how
useful classification schemes can be
proceeds from my ‘Black Inventors’
presentation. I may have aday when I’m
not up to par and have difficulty pulling
up particular names or inventions. In
such cases I’ll fall back on a set of
particular classification schemes which
provide graphic images - or economic
modes, or educational backgrounds,
whatever; All those with beards, or those
who attended engineering schools, those
who were dropouts or illiterate, those
whose inventions sparked railroads or
other transportation. There is no doubt
about it; “ The Best Texts And Curricu­
lum Is In Your Mind.”
My Power of Faith as:
Internal Strength
A Mother’s Secret Confessions
by an anonymous parent
For many, many years, my fondest
wish was to adopt a child. Well, in Sep­
tember of 19831 received my wish. This
child impacted my life so greatly that
even though my blood did not run through
her veins, the first time that I looked
upon her little face I said, “ She looks
just like my father.” I, too, look just like
my father. This fact can be validated by
everyone who’s come in contact with
him.
Our first year together was grand.
She was growing faster than most new­
born babies. It made me feel very good.
The second and third years were about
the same. She developed normally. She
was in good health and she was showing
signs of being able to learn quickly;
which was a genuine sign of a Moten
sibling. She fit-in very well.
Year four, on the other hand, was
terrible. It was as though my child was
always sick with colds, body aches and
awful pains. Several trips to the doctors
only gave us the same old answer, “ She’s
suffering from leg cramps caused by her
cold.”
Week after week, there were more
complaints of leg pains and added com­
plaints of tiredness. This was followed
by an inability to walk for any distance.
Emergency room visits were becoming
more and more frequent. Increased visits
were being made to her personal physi­
cian to find out what was causing the
trouble. Everybody was saying the same
thing, “ Her symptoms are attributed to
latent flu side effects.”
November rolled in and so did the
increase in pain for my baby. This time
they (the doctors) not only found leg
cramps but spinal meningitis. She was
placed in intensive care for seven days.
I stayed in the hospital day and night
wondering what was going to happen. I
was not familiar with this illness-at all.
All that I knew was that it was very
serious. This was my first experience
with uncertain feelings about how strong
I could be. Can I withstand this kind of
pressure? For several months, I worried
about her severe leg pains and the fact
that on one was able to find anything
conclusive.
ERVER
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Seven days had passed. I prayed that
the doctors would make her well and her
uneasiness would disappear. Then, she
was released. At last, we were home­
ward bound. I was thinking, “ She’s feel­
ing good, looking good, so everything
must be -OK.”
December came around and so did
the leg cramps. This time my child was
not only unable to walk but she couldn’t
even stand up.
The doctors ran more tests and she
was given medicine for pain. In a few
days, she felt OK-again. My nerves were
wrecked. I knew there had to be more to
this because there was no cold present;
but, the pain was still there.
In January, my dad died. I travelled
to California and remained there for two
weeks. I called home every day; check­
ing on my child’s condition. She was
feeling fine.
The second week, I talked to my
little girl. The pains had returned. I rushed
home! I called her doctor and said, “ You
are going to have to find out what is
wrong with my child or send me to
someone who can!” We arrived at the
clinic at 10 a.m., in the morning, and
when we left the clinic it was 6 p.m. We
went directly to the hospital.
SEE INTERNAL STRENGTH
ON PAGE 8
PARKING COMPLAINTS
Dick Bogle, Commissioner of Pub­
lic Safety, David Sweet, Housing Serv­
ices Supervisor, Bureau of Buildings,
Barbara Peterson and Willie May, field
representatives held a news conference
to announce a program to handle the
growing number of neighborhood park­
ing complaints.
The Bureau of Buildings receives
more than 100 complaints per day con­
cerning violations of neighborhood park­
ing regulations: On-street storage of
vehicles...off-street storage of disabled
or discarded vehicles...illegal parking of
trucks, trailers and oversized vehicles.
Neighborhood liveability is severely
impacted.
The lag time between citizen com­
plaint and on-site inspection is now 3-4-
weeks. Before the severe budget cuts of
the 1980s reduced Bureau staff, and an­
nexations increased the volume of calls,
the lag time was 3-4 days.
Currently, the Bureau of Buildings
sends housing inspectors to investigate
parking complaints...but only as time
allows. Higher priority is given to hous­
ing and nuisance violations, which pose
greater threats to health and safety.
The new program is intended to
reduce the lag time between complaint
and inspection by 75% or more. The goal
is a turn-around time of one week or less
by the end of October.
Gang problems are no longer boy
problems. Local experts are alarmed at
the marked increase in girls’ involve­
ment in gangs and violence. Girlfriends
of gang members are having “ gang
babies" as statues symbols and girls who
hang around with boys in gangs are often
sexually abused. Girls are also starting
their own gangs; selling drugs, fighting
other girl gangs and carrying weapons.
Eight to en percent of the teenagers
on probation in Multnomah County’s
juvenile justice system gang department
are girls; five years ago there were none.
Why are girls getting involved in gangs?
Counselors and probation officers see
them facing the same self esteem and
peer group issues as boys who join gangs.
But young women face the added diffi­
culties that teen pregnancy brings: in­
adequate prenatal care, single parenting
and the long-term problems of raising
children in a gang environment.
What kinds of girls join gangs: Are
girls imitating the boys or are their gangs
different? What do you think? Join Jack
Faust and his guests for this important
discussion on Sunday, September 30th
from 6:00-7:00 p.m. For seat reserva­
tions please call Frank Mungeam, Ali­
son Highberger or Liza McQuade at 231 -
4620. Guests should arrive at the KATU
studios (21st & N.E. Sandy Blvd.) be­
tween 5:00-5:15 p.m. The public is wel­
come, but reservations are required.
Letter to the Editor: The Portland Shuffle
by Nyewusi Askari
“ Where you goin Mr. Spider,
climbin up the wall?”
The Spider said, “ I’m goin to
get my ashes hauled.”
After reading Ullysses Tucker’s
article, ‘ ‘Push needs to shove in another
direction,” September 5, 1990, Port­
land Observer, I was reminded of the
Spider goin to get his ashes hauled.
Haul his ashes? Tucker did
more than that. Coming straight to the
point, he severely tongue-lashed the
African American community, for rais­
ing its voice in protest against The Nike
Corporation, and by the time the article
came to an end, it was very easy to
speculate that Tucker’s roar was in de­
fense of NIKE.
“ Listen,” he wrote, “ I am sick
and tired of hearing folks in Black
community complain about NIKE’s
underpresentation (?) of minorities in
management and on its board of direc­
tors. I am mad, but not at NIKE. Ac­
cording to a recent study released by
UCLA, 95% of top level management
jobs are held by white men. Even more
deplorable, these figures have barely
moved over the last ten years. If black
folks want to boycott do it across the
board and fairly. Don’t just single out
the NIKE corporation, go after Exxon,
MGM and countless others.”
Tucker spends the rest o f his
time truing to explain why he is slam­
ming Operation PUSH, tongue-lashing
the African American community and
defending NIKE.
It was a poor performance.
Tucker displayed a severe lack
of awareness of how African Americans
have viewed the NIKE/Operation PUSH
happenings. The chain of events speak
for themselves.
When the PUSH delegation
asked fora meeting with NIKEofficials,
they had to contend with a security guard,
who pleaded ignorant of knowing any­
thing about anything.
When the PUSH delegation
convened at a local African American
church, to discuss the issue with local
African American leaders, very few of
our leaders showed up.
S ince that time, various articles
have been written about PUSH/NIKE,
and some of
best known African
American leaders have issued statements
that attempt to explain why they are not
» 8 A a .. e ,
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adding, “ I am in a position to make it
happen.”
As commissioner-in-charge, Bogle
has directed the Fire Bureau to establish
a dual hiring list. One list contains the
names of all those who pass the exam.
The second contains only the names of
minorities and women who pass.
Bogle said he will employ the sec­
ond list, if necessary, “ to speed up the
process of integrating what is perceived
as an all-male, all-white public agency
in a city with a sizeable minority popula­
tion, and more women than m en.”
Of the bureau’s current 750 sworn
personnel, only 24 member o f minority
communities-10 African Americans, 10
Hispanics, and four Asians-and only three
are female.
Bogle once was an opponent of dual
hiring lists. He said he changed his think­
ing when he realized that integration-of
the Fire Bureau “ would take too many
years, without extra effort on my part.”
Also, he said dual lists are consis­
tent with the city’s Affirmative Action
policies. All other city bureaus, with the
exception of Police, employ minority
and female hiring lists.
At present, 120 women and minori­
ties are enrolled in the Fire Bureau’s on­
going Affirmative Action Training Pro­
gram.
I am responding to a letter from Betty Gamer about block parties that was published in your August 15th edition.
There is a very clear process for closing a street for a community event. I have enclosed a copy of the brochure and
application that is available from the Office of Transportation, Street Systems Management, and a sample of the required forms.
Insurance is required for all events such as this. Neighborhood Associations that belong to a coalition are covered by the
insurance the coalitions carry Coalitions are independent non-profit entities. There are some associations like Ms. Gamer’s
which do not belong to a coalition and therefore are responsible for making their own arrangements for insurance.
Ms. Gamer was given this information along with the application forms. She chose not to complete and return them.
The Sabin/Irvington Heights Association may be recognized and incorporated in the state of Oregon but there is different
criteria for city neighborhood associations.
The Office of Neighborhood Associations and myself are always available to assist neighbors or neighborhood asso­
ciations to access city services.
Sincerely,
Gail E. Washington
Mayor’s Liaison to
Office of Neighborhood Associations
supporting the boycotL
That sounds good, but it’s poor repre
The Tucker article implies that sentation. We heard it from the Presi
some of our local leaders aren ’ t support­ dent, but did we hear it from the mem
ing the PUSH boycott because they aren’t bership? Not only that, where are th<
willing to “ bite the hand that is feeding
leaders we so often depend on to guidi
them.”
and direct us through these types o
W hat’s happening here?
matters and issues? When we hear lead
The truth of the matter is, Port­ ers using words like neutral, it makes u
land’s African American community has wonder, “ is that it?” Is that the onl;
been pulled smack dab into the middle position you are recommending we take'
of a national issue,however, our local
Are you asking us to “ Do as you do?’
leadership has been handling the issue Or are you asking us to “ do as yot
with kids gloves.
say?”
Local leaders have made little
History is on the side o f Opera
of the seriousness of this matter.
tion PUSH. African American boycott!
Local leaders have done little
have a way o f feeding on themselves. Il
to inform or involve the broader com­ history is right, we can expect more ant
munity.
more African American organization!
That the PUSH delegation left to join the PUSH boycott against NIKEs
our community with a warped, negative For the duration of the boycott. Port'
picture is understandable. They were
land’s African American community wil
treated as strangers. They were treated
be in the spotlight, and can expect to set
as the bad guys. Mind you, the majority
a lot of national traffic trampling througf
o f the delegation were African Ameri­ its backyard.
can women.
If we are going to play host to t
There was no honor in our house. national boycott, our leaders had bettei
Who is to blame for this trag­ get on the ball. So must our journalist
edy? All of us. We knew the PUSH
Now is not the time to act ill-respon­
delegation was coming. We knew why
sible. Now is not the time to act con­
they were protesting. We knew that fused or baffled. It’s make-it-or-break-
NIKE was the target, yet we didn’t take it time.
the time to get our house in order, in
As for Ullysses Tucker, well, 1
order to create an environment from
suggest that he let NIKE speak for itself.
which some for real business could take Obviously, Tucker views himself as an
place.
intellectual and is proud of it, nonethe­
We missed a golden opportu­ less he should examine the damage done
nity to become the centerpiece of hospi­ by his September 5 article. More impor­
tality, negotiations, goodwill, clear think­ tantly, he owes the community an apol­
ing and African Americna tourism.
ogy. After all, this is America, and all
It is ironic to hear our leaders citizens have a right to complain and
talk about the need for economic devel­ raise their voices in protest. Tucker’s
opment in North/Northeast Portland, yet education was made possible by the
have to watch them do things that drive
struggle of African ancestors, slaves,
away those who might be willing to common, everyday people, millions ol
invest, by bringing African American
others, including those of us who got out
conventions, festivals, delegations etc.,
heads busted in the name of injustice.
to the new Convention Center.
We share this planet with oth­
Operation PUSH brought a ers, and we have no right to keep others
national issue to our community. The
from coming into our community to
delegation, in no uncertain terms, let us
solve problems, or address common
know, that although NIKE is sitting in
issues.
our backyard, its policies and practices
Community sentiments toward
are affecting African Americans through­ Tucker’s article? Listen to the words of
out the country.
one well-known community sister. “ If
What shocks many, in this
Ullysses is that mad with people in the
community, is the ways in which our
Black community, he sould pack up his
leaders have chosen to show their sup­ bags and move into NIKE headquarters.
port for NIKE. For example, Portland’s After what he said. I’m sure he can geta
Urban League President has said the job there...”
Urban League is neutral, on the matter.
I
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Commissioner Dick Bogle has re­
leased figures which show a dramatic
increase in minority and women appli­
cants for jobs with the Portland Bureau
of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Serv­
ices.
Bogle said 1,380 applications were
received for the firefighter examination
conducted Friday (SepL 7) at Portland
State University-an increase of 33.5 per­
cent over the number applying for the
last exam, given in September, 1987.
Of this year’s applicants, 190, or
13.8 percent, are minorities, an increase
of 58.3 percent. The number of female
applicants rose 50.6 percent to 119, or
8.6 percent of the total.
O f the 190 minorities, 175 are men-
67 African American, 48 Hispanic, 32
Native American, and 28 Asian. O f the
119 females, 104 are white, five are Af­
rican American, five are Hispanic, three
are Native American, and two are Asian.
(All minorities, male and female,
and all females, white and minority, are
listed in the two categories, as called for
by federal Affirmative Action reporting
guidelines; thus, minority women are
counted twice in statistics furnished by
the city’s Bureau of Personnel.)
Bogle went on to say that he “ ex­
pects to see improved minority and female
representation in the very near future,”
Letter to the Editor
» A .
t
k A
BOGLE RELEASES FIGURES ON
MINORITY/WOMEN APPLICANTS
G,rls And Gan9s
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